DICTIONARY OF OHAFIA DIALECT:
GREETINGS
Nnawo - Good morning. Also ‘unu abua chi? Or ‘unu-agbapele’ serve as Good morning too.
Nnatu - response to Nnawo, believed to have been coined from Irahuntu: meaning, have you slept?
Ka /kaa- general greeting in Ohafia, serves all times of the day, also to show appreciation, show pity and to plead.
Kaa wo- same as ka, but with emphasis.
Imeleaghi?/ ndaa? - How are you?
O din ma/ o dina ama- its fine. Response to Imeleaghi.
I biale/ iluale? - have you come? / have you returned? - To show welcome
OHAFIA ENGLISH
A
Abali night
Abuo The number, two
Abụọnkwu palm plantation
Ábubá feather
Àbubà fat
Abubara wall
Abu song
Achara kind of vegetable (Botanical name: Pennistum purpucem)
Ada first daughter
adzia comes
afa name
afia market
afifia grasses
afo year
afọ stomach
afo 3rd day of Igbo calendar
afufu suffering
agu hunger
agu ukwu big bush
agwo snake
agbisi isi hair on the head
agbugba gossip
agbugba bottle
agbugbo garden farm close home
aha war
aja sacrifice
aja sand
aji hair
aju buffer cloth
aka hand (Akam=my hand)
ako craftiness
akwa cry
akwu palm kernel
akuwkwo book
akpa bag
akpukpo(kanda) edible leather
akpukpo okpa shoe/footwear
ama-ala owners of the land
amu penis (male genitalia)
ano The number, Four
anwu sun
anwunta mosquito
anwuru tobacco
anwuru oku smoke
anya eye, far
anyi we (prefix), us (suffix)
akpan traditional police in Ohafia
apata laps
ara breast
arunsi oracle
asa The number, seven
asato The number, eight
ato The number, three
aturu sheep
aza answers
aziza broom
azu fish
azu back
B
bande catch
beke foreign
bia come
biko please
buzoa arise
C
Chechia cover
Chineke God the Creator
Chukwu God the Almighty
D
Daa fall
Dande rests upon
Dee write
Di husband
Dibia doctor (traditional / Orthodox)
Dimkpa full-fletched man
Duga sit down
Dum all
Dzia come from
E
Ebe yam beetle
Ebere pity/sympathize
Ebem yonder
Ebu bee
Ebulu ram
Edu the animal called “idiot”
Edze teeth
Edzedze adult
Efuru heights
Efifi afternoon
Egbe hawk
Egbe gun
Eke python
Eke 1st day of Igbo calendar
Ekele/ekeletu greeting
Eku ladle
Ekpe masquerade
Emejehu as time goes on
Elege like
Eligwe heaven
Elu top
Emume ceremony
Enyi elephant
Enyi friend
Enwo monkey
Ewi bush rat
Ewu goat
Eye and
Ezie king, ruler, chief
F
Fioro unscrew
Fu see
G
Gaje start going
Ga go
Gbachia close
Gbai write
Gbape open
Gbapusa write out
Gburu gburu round about, around
Gini what/why
Ginye you too
Gwepusa bring out
H
Hapu leave
Hihihi way of describing gossip
Hosa understand
I
Ibe place
Ibe fellow
Iberibe foolishness
Ibi cancer of the scrotum
Ibo door
Ichin old, ancient
Igbagiri door
Igboro fallow land
Ifu face, forward
Igbu-ewu traditional marriage rite in Ohafia.
Ife thing
Ife light
Ife ohu that thing
Ifere shame
Ifu face, forward
Igwe bicycle
Igwu lice
Ihuwa-ama to remark, recognize
Ije journey
Iji housefly
Iji-ebe kind of juju medicine
Ike emphasis for very
Ike strength
Ike oba tying the ban stacks
Ikoro slit drum
Ikpe judgment
Ikpere knee
Ikpakpa corn
Ikpu vagina (female genitalia)
Ikpurikpu maggot
Ikpukpo afifia weeding, literarily mans knocking down weeds
Ikwu matri-lineage
Ili grave
Ile-akuku inspecting sown seeds
Ilu proverbs
Ime pregnancy/inside something
Imirimara large/plenty
Imu teach
Imara to know
Inyiri dirt, blackness, charcoal
Ire potent/powerful
Ire tongue
Iri The number, ten
Iro enmity
Iru ali abomination
Isi head
Isi okwu headline
Iso The number, five
Isii The number, six
Ishi blindness
Ite pot
Itu-ilu to say a tale/ proverb
Itutu many
Itolu The number, eight
Iwe anger
Iyi stream/ river
Iyia mother
J
Je go
Jembe ending
Jinde hold
K
Ka/kaa General greeting in Ohafia
Kama instead
Karia more
Kea create
Kpogoro broken sound
Kwe agree
L
La go
Laje go on
M
Madu person/ human being .Madu dum-all people
Malisa start
Mai start
Mara knows
Mba city, place
Mbe tortoise
Mben another name for Ohafia people
Mbu The number, one
Meni that led to
Metu touch
Mgbe when, then
Mgbei blood .Mgbei-mgbei :bloody
Mfuogbu slaughter
Mmanyi/ mmai drink
Mmini water
Mmamini urine
Mkpi he-goat
Mong spirit
Mperete married woman
Mpi horn
Mu born
N
Ncha soap
Ndanda ant
Nde people of
Ndoo these people
Ngbagbu shoot down
Ngiga net/trap
Ngbasi evening
Ngwori porridge
Ngworo lame
Ngwa-afia goods for sales
Nku firewood
Nkpunkpu short
Nkwo Igbo market day
Nkwuzi act of seeking shelter/protection, asylum-seeking
Nnunu bird
Nna father
Nnawo good morning
Nna -nna anyi our ancestors
Njo bad
Nri food
Nta hunting
Nti ear
Nsi faeces
Nsi poison
Nwamba pussy cat
Nwa little, child
Nwa-okuku chicks
Nwanni relations
Nwami woman
Nzu white chalk
O
Oba gourd of calabash
Oba barn
Obila ugly
Obu rest hut, meeting hut
Odu tail
Ofia bush
Ofete opportunity
Ofeke weakling
Ofogoro emptiness
Ogele gong
Ogo in-law
Ogo place, village, common meeting place
Ogu fight
Ogborodo open village square
Oji kolanut
Oji big tree
Okara wrapper
Okochi dry season
Okoti beans
Oku fire
Oku variety of yam
Okuko fowl
Okwara 1st male child
Okwu word
Okwu mounds for cultivated yam
Okpa leg
Okpogo money
Okpogoro shell
Okpogoro key
Okpoko tobacco
Okpu cap
Okpu bottom
Okpurukpu inheritance
Okpirikpi log of wood
Ole-ra-ole few
Olu The number, one
Olu neck
Omerali tradition
Onye ikoro bachelor
Onye abianya visitor
Onu mouth
Opi horn
Orie 2nd day of Igbo calendar
Osisi tree
Oso pepper
Oso run
Otuo nkom ochi fond name for rice
Onwoa this one
Owu however
P
Pu went out, came in place
Puri commenced
Pusa come out
S
Si said
Sonyi pin in
Sopuru respect
T
Ta today
Taa chew
Tufua throw away
Tugharia change
Tukuru bend low, squat
Tujua to hail
U
Ubi farm
Ucha clean
Uche mind
Udele vulture
Udidi in the image of
Udumini rainy season
Ugbala Tuttle bird
Ugbua now
Ugwo debt
Ugwu honour
Uguru harmatan
Ugo eagle
Ufufe air, breeze
Ufufu foam
Uka talk
Ulu second male child
Ulue house
Umurima children
Umudi patri-kin
Una three leaf yam
Unu you people
Unwu lean period, draught
Uso run
Usu confusion
Usu bat
Ukara-ilu bitter leaf
Uke age grade
Ukwara cough
Ura sleep
Utara bolus of garri
Utuo sweet
Ututu morning
Uwa world
Uzo way/ road
W
Wo them
Wu is
Y
Ya it.
Yage itself
Ya onwe ya in itself
Yeni aka helped