African Loanwords in English

Africa is home to several language families. In Morocco, Algeria and the surrounding countries, Berber languages, such as Tashelhit, are spoken alongside Arabic. Hausa is a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria and Amharic is a Semitic language of Ethiopia, related to Arabic and Hebrew. Berber, Chadic and Semitic are all branches of the larger Afroasiatic family.
Mvuba is spoken in northern DRC and part of the hypothesized Nilo-Saharan family.
Most of the languages of western and southern Africa belong to the Niger-Congo family, for example Wolof (Senegal), Ibibio, Igbo (both Nigeria), Temné (Sierra Leone) and Fon (Benin). Some linguists also include Mandinka (Guinea-Bissau, the Gambia, Senegal), a Mandé language. One large branch of the Niger-Congo family is Bantu, which spread over the whole southern half of Africa. It includes Zulu (South Africa), Kimbundu (Angola), Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya), Luganda (take a guess!) and Tswana (Botswana, South Africa).
Lastly, Khoekhoe is one of the southern African languages that survived the Bantu expansion. It has clicks and the ethnic group is one of the most genetically divergent of all mankind.
Many of these words entered the English language because of the atrocious Transatlantic slave trade. Note that many words refer to music and dance.
This quiz does not contain words from Egyptian, another branch of the Afroasiatic family: see this quiz. It also contains no Arabic loanwords: see this quiz.
* An asterisk means that the word has an uncertain or disputed etymology.
? A question mark means that the exact source language cannot be identified.
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PeregrineFalcon
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Last updated: April 5, 2025
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Music and Dance
Niger-Congo
String instrument used in country music.*
banjo
Bantu
Type of drum, consisting of two small drums attached to each other. Used in salsa music.
bongo
Ibibio?
Music style from Trinidad. Probably folk etymologically confused with a nymph from Greek mythology.
calypso
Mandinka
A West African drum with the shape of a goblet.
djembe
Wolof?
Colloquial word meaning 'to deceive'. Became the name of a lively dance associated with swing.*
jive
Niger-Congo
Old-fashioned music playing machine found in bars.
jukebox
Bantu
Large xylophone with resonator tubes.
marimba
Bantu
Fast Brazilian dance.
samba
Ibibio?
A dramatic dance from Argentina and Uruguay.
tango
Zulu
Loud, plastic horn used by sport spectators. Became widely known through the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
vuvuzela
 
 
 
Animals
Bantu
An ape, closely related to ‡ but living on the other side of the Congo River.
bonobo
Bantu
‡ An ape, researched by Jane Goodall.
chimpanzee
Berber
§ The largest terrestrial animal on Earth. Perhaps the first syllable is derived from a Berber language.*
elephant
Khoekhoe
Another name for wildebeest; a large hooved mammal often seen migrating in large groups on documentaries.
gnu
Zulu
Common type of small antelope. Important food source for lions.
impala
Khoekhoe
Large hooved mammal with horns like corkscrews. Occasionally on the menu in South Africa.
kudu
Zulu
Several species of snake. The black one is feared for its venom and speed.
mamba
Mvuba
Relative of the giraffe with legs like a zebra.
okapi
Tswana
A freshwater fish which is easy to farm.
tilapia
Tswana
An insect that bites and causes sleeping sickness.
tsetse fly
Misc.
Hausa
False, fake or nonsensical.*
bogus
Berber
North African staple food which is like very small pieces of pasta.
couscous
Kimbundu
Stew from Louisiana, often with shellfish and thickened with †.
gumbo
Wolof?
Trendy, fashionable. Lent its name to a subculture protesting against the Vietnam war.*
hip
Swahili
Something very large, such as a ... jet. Named after a famous 19th century §.
jumbo
Amharic
Religion that developed in Jamaica. It literally means 'revered duke', referring to Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia.
Rastafari
Swahili
A trip for spotting wildlife. The word comes ultimately from Arabic.
safari
Fon?
Various Caribbean religions with their origins in Africa. In popular culture, it includes pricking dolls with needles.
Voodoo
Luganda
Viral disease spread by mosquitoes. In pregnant women, it is dangerous for the child. An outbreak in Brazil raised concern before the 2016 Olympics.
Zika
Bantu
Supernaturally reanimated corpse, originally from Haitian folklore.
zombie
 
 
 
Plants
Tashelhit
A tree endemic to Morocco which produces an expensive oil. In the West, mostly used in cosmetic products.
argan
Wolof?
A curved yellow tropical fruit.
banana
Temné?
A brown soft drink, or a nut that was one of the original ingredients, containing caffeine.
cola
Igbo
† Vegetable used in the American South. It produces a gelatinous texture.
okra
Wolof?
An edible tuber. Also used as a different name for the sweet potato.
yam
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