Counting from one to ten is a good first step: the word for seven, bakwai, is the same word as in Hausa Bakwai, “the seven Hausa states”, and Banza Bakwai, “the seven bastard states”, which you met in the chapter on Origins.
| Number | Hausa | Number | Hausa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ɗaya | 6 | shida |
| 2 | biyu | 7 | bakwai |
| 3 | uku | 8 | takwas |
| 4 | huɗu | 9 | tara |
| 5 | biyar | 10 | goma |
| 20 | ashirin | 100 | ɗari |
| 1,000 | dubu |
Kinship words are among the first used in a Hausa home: uwa (mother), uba (father), ɗa (son or child), ƴa (daughter), yaya (older sibling), ƙane (younger brother), ƙanwa (younger sister), kaka (grandparent), miji (husband), mata (wife, also “women”) and aboki (friend). Salamone notes the close tie between a man and his sister and between a man and his mother’s sister, who are expected to be sources of protection and help.
Sources for this article
- Bargery 1934, entries for the numerals
- Salamone 2010, ch. 13, p. 135 (man, sister and mother’s sister)