Symbols
57Click a symbol to copy it and open its page.
Runyankore alphabet
The 23 letters of Uganda's standard Runyankore-Rukiga chart, in order. L, q and x are left out: q and x appear only in foreign names and loanwords, and Runyankore 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
Runyankore has no quotation rule of its own; the usual English style is 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 Ankole around Mbarara. The Ugandan shilling has no Unicode sign; prices are written USh 5,000 or UGX 5,000.
From Ankole
The long-horned Ankole cattle, the milk and ghee of Ankole cooking, matooke bananas from the green hills around Mbarara, the royal drum Bagyendanwa of the old kingdom, and the zebras of Lake Mburo National Park.
On the map
Loading…
Runyankore language and its alphabet
Runyankore is the Bantu language of the Banyankore, the people of Ankole (Nkore) in south-western Uganda. The prefixes do the naming: one person is a Munyankore, the people are the Banyankore, and the language is Runyankore, or Orunyankore with its full prefix. English writing often puts an l in these words (Runyankole, Banyankole, Ankole), and reference books call the language Nyankole, which is where its ISO code nyn comes from.
It is written in the Latin alphabet. Unicode's CLDR lists all 26 letters from a to z in its exemplar set, but Uganda's school letter-sound chart lists 23, omitting l, q and x. That is why thank you is webale in Luganda but webare in Runyankore, and to eat is okulya in Luganda but okurya in Runyankore.
Sounds that English spells with two letters are written the same way here: ny is the ny of canyon (the sound of Spanish ñ) and sh is the English sh, as in omushaija, man. Long vowels are usually written with a doubled vowel, as in osiibire. Runyankore uses pitch like most Bantu languages, but the standard spelling does not mark tone, so there are no accents to look for.
The apostrophe in Runyankore words: eby'okurya, ky', y'
Beyond A to Z, a character Runyankore texts regularly need 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 stands in its place: ebya okurya is written eby'okurya, the things of eating, that is, food. The same pattern gives ky', w', y' and z' in Runyankore writing, for example in the Bible and hymn books.
Either the straight apostrophe ' or the curly one ’ is fine. Phones usually insert ’ on their own, while forms and older software keep '. For quotations, Runyankore has no quotation rule of its own; writers usually follow English practice, most often double curly quotes “ ” outside and single ones ‘ ’ inside.
How to type Runyankore on a keyboard or phone
Runyankore 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 by themselves, and a long-press on the apostrophe key shows the other forms.
Where Runyankore is spoken: Ankole, Uganda
Runyankore is the language of Ankole in south-western Uganda, with Mbarara as its main town and the districts around it, such as Bushenyi, Sheema, Ntungamo, Ibanda, Isingiro and Kiruhura, as its heartland; Banyankore who moved to Kampala and other towns took it with them. Unicode's CLDR estimates about 3.1 million speakers, all of them in Uganda , which makes it one of the country's largest languages.
Ankole was a kingdom ruled by the Omugabe, whose royal drum was named Bagyendanwa. The kingdom was abolished in 1967, and unlike Buganda, Bunyoro, Toro and Busoga it was not restored in the 1990s. Its cattle are famous: the Ankole breed, with its huge curving horns, is known abroad as Ankole-Watusi, and milk, ghee and the ghee sauce eshabwe sit at the heart of Ankole cooking next to matooke, the green cooking banana.
Runyankore is so close to Rukiga, the language of neighbouring Kigezi, that the two share one written standard, Runyankore-Rukiga: one Bible (Baibuli Erikwera), one hymn book and one school subject in Ugandan exams. Both belong to the same group of Bantu languages as Runyoro, Rutooro and Ruhaya in Tanzania, with Luganda a little further off, 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 Rukiga (Chiga) collection covers Runyankore's closest relative, the Uganda collection has the country's emoji, and the Luganda, Acholi and Masaaba collections cover other languages of Uganda.
Runyankore words and greetings to copy
A Runyankore 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 later in the day Osiibire ota?, how has your day been. Thanks are Webare, or Webare munonga for thank you very much, and popular love words are Ninkukunda, I love you, and omukundwa, beloved.
All of these are typed with plain letters, so people looking for Runyankole words and their meanings in English mostly need the meanings rather than special characters. The ones below are ready to paste with an emoji; the apostrophe words like eby'okurya are where to take care.
How to use them
5 situationsClick to copyRunyankore Alphabet combos
10Worth knowing
- Ankole is an English rendering of Nkore: Runyankore has no native l, but colonial-era spellings put one in, and Ankole, Banyankole and Runyankole are still common in English.
- The long-horned Ankole cattle of south-western Uganda were taken to America in the 20th century, where they are bred as Ankole-Watusi; their horns can grow well over a metre long.
- The Ankole kingdom's royal drum, Bagyendanwa, was revered as the sacred emblem of the kingdom itself, outlasting any single king.
- Runyankore and Rukiga are written as one language, Runyankore-Rukiga, so a single Bible and hymn book serve both the Banyankore and the Bakiga.
Questions people ask
7What is the Runyankore alphabet?
The 23-letter standard Runyankore-Rukiga Latin chart omits l, q and x and has no accented letters. Ny and sh are written with two letters, and long vowels are usually doubled.
Is Nyankole the same as Runyankore?
Yes. Nyankole is the English reference name (ISO code nyn) for Runyankore, also spelled Runyankole or Orunyankore, the language of the Banyankore of Ankole in south-western Uganda.
Where is the Runyankore language spoken?
In Uganda, mainly in Ankole around Mbarara, Bushenyi, Sheema, Ntungamo, Ibanda, Isingiro and Kiruhura, and among Banyankore in Kampala. CLDR estimates about 3.1 million speakers.
How to say thank you in Runyankole?
Webare. For thank you very much, say Webare munonga.
What are common Runyankore greetings?
Agandi? (what news?) answered with Ni marungi (it's good); Oraire ota? for good morning; and Osiibire ota? for good afternoon.
What are Runyankore love words?
Ninkukunda means I love you, and omukundwa means beloved, as in Omukundwa wangye, my beloved.
Are Runyankore and Rukiga the same language?
They are very close and mutually understandable and share one written standard, Runyankore-Rukiga, used for the Bible, hymn books and school exams, but speakers treat them as the languages of two peoples, the Banyankore and the Bakiga.
