Chichewa

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Etymology

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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ku-

  1. Class 15 noun prefix
  2. Class 17 noun prefix

Indonesian

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Etymology

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Inherited from Malay ku-, from Proto-Malayic *ku-, nominative proclitic variant of *aku.

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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ku-

  1. I (first person singular nominative proclitic pronoun)
    Tanahku negeriku yang kucinta.
    My land, my country that I love.

See also

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Indonesian personal pronouns
singular plural
1st person exclusive regular aku,
saya1
kami
enclitic -ku -
proclitic ku- -
1st person inclusive - kita
2nd person regular kamu,
Anda2,
kau3
kalian,
Anda2,
Anda sekalian2
enclitic -mu -
3rd person regular dia,
beliau4,
ia3
mereka
enclitic -nya -
reflexive diri5, diri sendiri
emphatic sendiri
1 Polite.
2 Formal.
3 Now mostly literary.
4 Respectful.

5 Sometimes used as an emphatic marker instead of being reflexive.
Notes:
  • This table only shows personal pronouns that are commonly used in the standard language.
  • The second person pronouns are often replaced by kinship terms, titles, or the like.
  • The enclitics are only used obliquely (object or possessor), while the proclitic is only used as a subject.
See each entry for more information.

Further reading

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Kambera

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Pronoun

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ku-

  1. first person singular nominative proclitic

See also

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Kambera pronominal clitics
nominative genitive accusative dative
singular first person ku- -nggu -ka -ngga
second person mu- (u-) -mu -kau -nggau
third person na- -na -ya -nya
plural first
person
inclusive ta- -nda -ta -nda
exclusive ma- -ma -kama -nggama
second person mi- (i-) -mi -kami (-kai) -nggami (-nggai)
third person da- -da -ha -nja

Makasar

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Pronunciation

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Pronoun

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ku- (nominative proclitic, Lontara spelling ᨀᨘ)

  1. I
  2. we (first person plural exclusive)

See also

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Makasar free and bound pronouns
independent absolutive nominative possessive
1st sg / 1st pl exclusive nakke -a' ku- -ku
1st pl exclusive (archaic) kambe -kang ki- -mang
1st pl inclusive / 2nd sg polite katte -ki' ki- -ta
2nd sg / pl familiar kau -ko nu- -nu
3rd sg / pl ia -i na- -na

Malay

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Etymology

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From Proto-Malayic *ku-, nominative proclitic variant of *aku.

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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ku- (Jawi spelling کوـ)

  1. I (first person singular nominative proclitic pronoun)
    kutahuI know

See also

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Malay personal pronouns
singular plural
1st person standard saya / ساي
aku / اکو, ku- / كوـ (informal/towards God)
-ku / ـكو (informal possessive)
hamba / همبا (dated)
kami / کامي (exclusive)
kita orang / كيت اورڠ (informal exclusive)
kita / کيت (inclusive)
royal beta / بيتا
2nd person standard
kamu / کامو
anda / اندا (formal)
engkau / اڠکاو, kau- / كاوـ (informal/towards God)
awak / اوق (friendly/older towards younger)
-mu / ـمو (possessive)
awak semua / اوق سموا
kamu semua / كامو سموا
kalian / کالين (informal)
kau orang / كاو اورڠ (informal)
royal tuanku / توانكو
3rd person standard dia / دي
ia / اي
beliau / بلياو (honorific)
-nya / ـڽ (possessive)
mereka / مريک
dia orang / دي اورڠ (informal)
royal baginda / بݢيندا

Northern Ndebele

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. you; second-person singular object concord.

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it; class 15 subject concord.
  2. it; class 15 object concord.

Etymology 3

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it; class 17 subject concord.
  2. it; class 17 object concord.

Phuthi

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. you; second-person singular object concord.

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. Class 15 noun prefix; forms the infinitive of verbs.

Etymology 3

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it; class 15 subject concord.
  2. it; class 15 object concord.

Etymology 4

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it; class 17 subject concord.
  2. it; class 17 object concord.

Southern Ndebele

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. you; second-person singular object concord.

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it; class 15 subject concord.
  2. it; class 15 object concord.

Swahili

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Alternative forms

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  • (in certain cases before a vowel) kw-

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (Kenya):(file)

Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. ku class(XV) noun prefix; used before verb stem with eventual object concord to form infinitive
    1. used to form verbnoun
      Kufanya kazi ni muhimu ili kupata pesa.
      Working is important in order to earn money.
    2. used after auxiliary verbs that do not require subject agreement and tense/aspect marking on the dependent verb
      Nataka kukisoma.
      I want to read it.
      Ilisababisha watu kujifunza zaidi.
      It caused people to study more.
      • 2023, “Waasi wa ADF wadaiwa kuwaua raia”, in DW[1]:
        Watu wasiopungua kumi wanadaiwa kuuawa na wengine zaidi ya thelathini kujeruhiwa vibaya.
        At least ten people are claimed to have been killed and more than thirty others to have been seriously injured.
    3. used after -a (including in the presense of a subject)
      kitabu cha kufundishiabook of instruction
      baada ya kipindi kupitaafter the period passes/passed
    4. used after na to replace elided subject agreement and tense/aspect marking
      Nilisoma na kuandika.
      I read and wrote.
  2. ku class(XV)/ku class(XVII) adjective agreement prefix
    Kusafiri ni kuzuri sana.
    Traveling is great.
    mahali kuzuria nice area
  3. verb-initial form of -ku- (you, 2st person singular (or, if with suffix -ni, plural) object concord)
See also
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Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it, there; ku class(XV)/ku class(XVII) subject concord
    Antonym: haku-
    Kutoa kunatokana na moyo.
    Giving comes from the heart.
    Kuna watu wengi nchini wanaotaka amani.
    There are many people in the country who want peace.
  2. verb-initial form of -ku- (there, ku class(XVII) object concord)
See also
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Swahili verbal concords (third person)
class subject concord object concord relative
affirmative negative
m(I) a-, yu- ha-, hayu- -m-, -mw-, -mu- -ye
wa(II) wa- hawa- -wa- -o
m(III) u- hau- -u- -o
mi(IV) i- hai- -i- -yo
ji(V) li- hali- -li- -lo
ma(VI) ya- haya- -ya- -yo
ki(VII) ki- haki- -ki- -cho
vi(VIII) vi- havi- -vi- -vyo
n(IX) i- hai- -i- -yo
n(X) zi- hazi- -zi- -zo
u(XI) u- hau- -u- -o
ku(XV/XVII) ku- haku- -ku- -ko
pa(XVI) pa- hapa- -pa- -po
mu(XVIII) m-, mw-, mu- ham-, hamw-, hamu- -mu- -mo

For a full table including first and second person,
see Appendix:Swahili personal pronouns

Swazi

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. you; second-person singular object concord.

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. Class 15 noun prefix; forms the infinitive of verbs.

Etymology 3

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it; class 15 subject concord.
  2. it; class 15 object concord.

Etymology 4

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it; class 17 subject concord.
  2. it; class 17 object concord.

Taos

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Pronunciation

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Prefix

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ku-

  1. (transitive) Second-person singular subject + third person duoplural object.

Tocharian A

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Etymology

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From Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-. Cognates include Ancient Greek χέω (khéō), Sanskrit जुहोति (juhoti), Old Armenian ձեւ (jew), Latin fundō, fūtis and Old English ġēotan, guttas (English gut).

Verb

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ku-

  1. to pour
  2. to offer a libation

Tocharian B

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Etymology

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From Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-. Cognates include Ancient Greek χέω (khéō), Sanskrit जुहोति (juhoti), Old Armenian ձեւ (jew), Latin fundō, fūtis and Old English ġēotan, guttas (English gut).

Verb

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ku-

  1. to pour
  2. to offer a libation

Tooro

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Alternative forms

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  • (before vowels) kw-

Etymology

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Pronunciation

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Prefix

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ku-

  1. class 15 pronominal concord
    ku- + ‎-nu (this, these) → ‎kunu (this (class 15))
  2. it; class 15 subject concord
    ku- + ‎-kora (to do) → ‎kukora (it (class 15) does)
  3. positive imperative form of -ku- (it; class 15 object concord)
    ku- + ‎-ha (to give) → ‎kuha (give it (class 15))

See also

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Tooro personal pronouns
class person independent possessive subject
concord
object
concord
combined forms
na ni
class 1 first nyowe, nye -ange n- -n- nanyowe, nanye ninyowe, ninye
second iwe -awe o- -ku- naiwe niiwe
third uwe -e a- -mu- nawe nuwe
class 2 first itwe -aitu tu- -tu- naitwe niitwe
second inywe -anyu mu- -ba- nainywe niinywe
third abo -abo ba- -ba- nabo nubo
class 3 gwo -agwo gu- -gu- nagwo nugwo
class 4 yo -ayo e- -gi- nayo niyo
class 5 lyo -alyo li- -li- nalyo niryo
class 6 go -ago ga- -ga- nago nugo
class 7 kyo -akyo ki- -ki- nakyo nikyo
class 8 byo -abyo bi- -bi- nabyo nibyo
class 9 yo -ayo e- -gi- nayo niyo
class 10 zo -azo zi- -zi- nazo nizo
class 11 rwo -arwo ru- -ru- narwo nurwo
class 12 ko -ako ka- -ka- nako nuko
class 13 two -atwo tu- -tu- natwo nutwo
class 14 bwo -abwo bu- -bu- nabwo nubwo
class 15 kwo -akwo ku- -ku- nakwo nukwo
class 16 ho -aho ha- -ha- naho nuho
class 17 (kwo) N/A ha-
(...-yo)
-ha- N/A nukwo
class 18 (mwo) -amwo ha-
(...-mu)
-ha- N/A numwo
reflexive -enyini, -onyini -e-

References

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  • Kaji, Shigeki (2007) A Rutooro Vocabulary[2], Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, page 414

Xhosa

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. you; second-person singular object concord.

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it; class 15 subject concord.
  2. it; class 15 object concord.

Etymology 3

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. it; class 17 subject concord.
  2. it; class 17 object concord.

Ye'kwana

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Pronunciation

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Prefix

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ku-

  1. Allomorph of k- (first-person-dual-inclusive prefix) used for stems that begin with a consonant and have a first vowel u.

Inflection

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Zulu

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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kú-

  1. you; second-person singular object concord.

Etymology 2

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. Class 15 simple noun prefix.

Etymology 3

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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kú-

  1. it; class 15 subject concord.
  2. it; class 15 object concord.

Etymology 4

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ̀-.

Prefix

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ku-

  1. Class 17 simple noun prefix.

Etymology 5

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From Proto-Bantu *kʊ́-.

Prefix

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kú-

  1. it; class 17 subject concord.
  2. it; class 17 object concord.

References

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