Numbers and Counting in Rukiga

This page will introduce you to basic numbers in Rukiga. A first point to know is that Rukiga uses latin numerals inherited from English. Because Ugandan cash denominations in Uganda shillings (UGX) typically use coins of 100, 200, 500, and notes of 1k, 5k, 10k, 20k, and 50k, people commonly use numbers in the hundreds and particularly thousands and millions to talk about money and payment. Common numbers for salaries are such numbers as: 10k per day, 50k per week, 300k UGX per month, 500k UGX per month, 1 million UGX per month, 2 million UGX per month, etc. Lower numbers are typically used in order to provide ages or count certain countable persons or other nouns.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the basic ways numbers are constructing using numbers that will be of use to you in actually engaging in social life among Bakiga
2. Be able to say numbers in Rukiga and write the numbers out in prose after seeing the numeral written

A preliminary note:

Numbers 1-5 are special in the sense that they typically need to include “na” (meaning “and”) in from of them – this “na” often contracts to n’[word] based on Rukiga vowel rules but not in every case. There are some exceptions but this can be kept as a rule of thumb when thinking about these numbers Additionally numbers 1-4 are prefixed with a class prefix when noun phrases are made, such as omushomesa omwe (one teacher) or abashomesa babiri (two teachers) based on the noun class for omushomesa of mu-ba.

Without further ado, here are numbers in Rukiga:

1 –  Emwe

2 –  Ibiri

3 – Ishatu

4 – Ina

5 – Itaano

6 – Mukaaga

7 – Mushanju

8 – Munaana

9 – Mwenda

10 – Ikumi

11 – Ikumi n’emwe

20 – (Makumi) ebiri

23 – Abiri na ishatu

30 – (Makumi) ashatu

40 – (Makumi) ana

47 – Ana na mushanju

50 – (Makumi) ataano

60 – Nkaaga

70 – Nshanju

80 – Kinaana

90 – Kyenda

100 – Kikumi

200 – Bibiri

210 – Bibiri n’ikumi

300 – Bishatu

350 – Bishatu n’ataano

400 – Bina

500 – Bitaano

600 – Rukaaga

700 – Rushanju

800 – Runaana

900 – Rwenda

1000 – Rukumi

1100 – Rukumi ne kikumi

1500 – Rukumi ne bitaano

2000- Enkumi ibiri

2500 – Enkumi ibiri na bitaano

3500 – Enkumi ishatu na bitaano

4000 – Enkumi ina

5000 – Enkumi itaano

6000 – Kakaaga

7000 – Kashanju

8000 – Kanana

9000 – Kenda

Before continuing it is important to know the noun omutwaro (sing.) – emitwaro (pl), a MU-MI noun, that means “ten thousand” or “ten thousands” (sic). This word is used for talking about numbers 10,000 and above. As mentioned, this is most commonly used to talk about money.

10,000 – Omutwaro gumwe

100,000 – Emitwaro ikumu

200,000 – Emitwaro abiri

300,000 – Emitwaro ashatu

400,000 – Emitwaro ana

500,000 – Emitwaro ataano

600,000 – Emitwaro nkaaga

700,000 – Emitwaro nshanju

800,000 – Emitwaro kinaana

900,000 – Emitwaro kyenda

To talk about numbers in the millions, Rukiga use an English loan word “miliyoni” to indicate the number followed by the number used to include the number of “millions”. In Rukiga, “miliyoni” is both plural and singular (miliyoni-miliyoni) and is in the n-n noun class.

1,000,000 – miliyoni emwe

2,000,000 – miliyoni ibiri

3,000,000 – miliyoni ishatu

45,000,000 – miliyoni ana n‘itaano

And it continues on using this formulation.