Symbols
63Click a symbol to copy it and open its page.
Rukiga alphabet
The 26 letters CLDR lists for Rukiga, in order. Q and x appear only in foreign names and loanwords, and l is rare (Rukiga says webare where Luganda says webale). NY and SH are written as two letters, and long vowels are doubled (osiibire).
Apostrophe
Marks a dropped vowel where two words join: ky', y', w', z', eby'okurya. Curly or straight, both are used.
Quotation marks
Rukiga follows Ugandan English: double curly quotes outside, single ones inside. The closing single quote is the same character as the curly apostrophe above.
Where it's spoken
Uganda, above all the Kigezi region around Kabale. The Ugandan shilling has no Unicode sign; prices are written USh 5,000 or UGX 5,000.
From Kigezi
The terraced hills of Kigezi, dugout canoes on Lake Bunyonyi, sorghum for obushera, the potatoes Kabale is known for, and the mountain gorillas of Bwindi and Mgahinga at the edge of Rukiga country.
On the map
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Rukiga language and its alphabet
Rukiga is the Bantu language of the Bakiga, the people of Kigezi in the hills of south-western Uganda. The prefixes tell you who is who: one person is an Omukiga, the people are the Bakiga (Abakiga), and the language is Rukiga (Orukiga). English sources often call it Chiga or Kiga, which is where its ISO code cgg comes from, but Rukiga is the name people use and search for.
It is written in the Latin alphabet, and Unicode's CLDR lists all 26 letters from a to z as its exemplar set. In practice a few of them stay on the edge: q and x appear only in foreign names and borrowed words, and l is rare, because where Luganda has l Rukiga usually has r. That is why thank you is webale in Luganda but webare in Rukiga, and to eat is okulya in Luganda but okurya in Rukiga.
Some sounds are written with two letters rather than a special character: ny is the ny of canyon (the same sound as Spanish ñ) and sh is the English sh, as in omushaija, man. Long vowels are written by doubling them, as in osiibire. Like most Bantu languages Rukiga uses pitch, but the standard spelling does not mark tone, so there are no accents to hunt for.
The apostrophe in Rukiga words: ky', y', eby'okurya
The character a Rukiga text uses most beyond A to Z is the apostrophe. When a short linking word ending in a vowel meets a word that begins with a vowel, the first vowel drops and an apostrophe takes its place: ebya okurya is written eby'okurya, the things of eating, that is, food. You will see the same pattern in ky', w', y' and z' all through Rukiga writing, from church hymns to SMS.
Either the straight apostrophe ' or the typographic one ’ is fine; phones usually insert ’ automatically, while forms and older software keep '. For quotations Rukiga follows Ugandan English: double curly quotes “ ” on the outside and single ones ‘ ’ inside.
How to type Rukiga on a keyboard or phone
Rukiga needs no special keyboard: a standard English layout on a computer, iPhone or Android types every letter. The only characters worth reaching for are the curly quotes. On Windows, hold Alt and type 0146 on the number pad for ’, 0145 for ‘, 0147 for “ and 0148 for ”. On a Mac, OptionShift] gives ’, Option] gives ‘, Option[ gives “ and OptionShift[ gives ”.
In HTML, write ’, ‘, “ and ”. Phone keyboards switch to curly quotes on their own, and a long-press on the apostrophe key shows the other forms.
Where Rukiga is spoken: Kigezi, Uganda
Rukiga is spoken above all in the Kigezi region of south-western Uganda, around Kabale and in the Rubanda, Rukiga, Rukungiri and Kanungu districts; it is also spoken in northern Rwanda. Bakiga families who moved to other parts of Uganda carried it with them. Unicode's CLDR lists about 2.7 million speakers in Uganda .
Rukiga is so close to Runyankore, the language of neighbouring Ankole, that the two share one written standard, Runyankore-Rukiga: one Bible, one hymn book, and one school subject in Ugandan exams. Both belong to the same family as Runyoro, Rutooro and Luganda, and many speakers also use English, Uganda's official language. Prices are written in Ugandan shillings, which have no Unicode sign of their own: people write USh 5,000 or UGX 5,000. The Nyankole (Runyankore) collection covers Rukiga's closest relative, the Uganda collection has the country's emoji, and the Luganda and Acholi collections cover two of Uganda's other big languages.
Rukiga words and greetings to copy
A Rukiga conversation usually opens with Agandi?, literally "what news?", answered with Ni marungi, "it's good". In the morning you ask Oraire ota?, how did you sleep, and the reply is Ndaire gye, I slept well; later in the day it becomes Osiibire ota?, how has your day been. Thanks are Webare, or Webare munonga for thank you very much.
Every one of these is typed with plain letters, which is why people searching for Rukiga words in English mostly need meanings rather than characters. The ones below are ready to paste with an emoji, and the apostrophe words like eby'okurya are the place to take care.
How to use them
5 situationsClick to copyRukiga Alphabet combos
10Worth knowing
- The "Switzerland of Africa" nickname was applied to Kabale in Kigezi for its chilly weather and rolling hills; terraces were introduced in 1944 to prevent soil erosion.
- Rukiga and Runyankore are written as one language, Runyankore-Rukiga, so the same Bible and hymn book serve both the Bakiga and the Banyankore.
- Rukiga regularly has r where Luganda has l: webare for webale (thank you), okurya for okulya (to eat).
- Lake Bunyonyi, in the heart of Rukiga country near Kabale, is usually translated as "the place of many little birds", though the origin of the name is not settled.
Questions people ask
6What is the Rukiga alphabet?
The standard Runyankore-Rukiga alphabet uses Latin letters; q and x are reserved for foreign names and loanwords, and l is rare because Rukiga usually has r where Luganda has l. Sounds like ny and sh are written with two letters, and long vowels are doubled.
Is Chiga the same as Rukiga?
Yes. Chiga and Kiga are English names for Rukiga (Orukiga), the language of the Bakiga of Kigezi in south-western Uganda; its ISO code is cgg.
Where is the Chiga language spoken? Which country?
Uganda, mainly in the Kigezi region around Kabale and in the Rubanda, Rukiga, Rukungiri and Kanungu districts, as well as northern Rwanda. CLDR lists about 2.7 million speakers in Uganda.
How to say thank you in Rukiga?
Webare. For thank you very much, say Webare munonga.
What are common Rukiga greetings?
Agandi? (what news?) answered with Ni marungi (it's good); Oraire ota? (good morning, how did you sleep?) answered with Ndaire gye; and Osiibire ota? for good afternoon.
Are Rukiga and Runyankore the same language?
They are very close and mutually understandable, and they share one written standard, Runyankore-Rukiga, used for the Bible, hymn books and school exams. Speakers still treat them as the speech of two peoples, the Bakiga and the Banyankore.
