What is “I love you” In Igbo Language.
Question
I am married to an Igbo man and beginning to learn some basic Igbo Languages, would you want to help me out? How do you say “I love you” in Igbo language? I just found this site and loving it, hope to learn more about the Igbo tribe from Nigeria.
Answers ( 4 )
To begin with, the word ‘LOVE,’ is used to express feelings towards another. When one says I love you, that is to say, there is a strong emotional attachment to that.
Love in the Igbo language is transcribed or rather translated as ‘IFUNANANYA,’ I love you in the Igbo language can as such be translated to as ”Ahuru m gi na Anya,’ The Igbos can also use ”Ihe gi na amasi m,’ to mean I love you. There is probably some slight difference in the different variations of Igbo as spoken in Igboland.
However, the generally accepted transcrption for ‘I love you”, is ‘Ahuru m gi na Anya.
Love in Igbo culture is much respected and valued because the Igbos believe it has more of spiritual attachment rather than the physical. The females bear the name Ifunanya or Ihunanya depending on the mother tongue. This means is Love.
Although the term “I love you” has no clear cut meaning in Igbo language but this can loosely be translated as “Afurum gi na Anya” or Ifunanya which is also translated back to English as to mean “see someone with the eyes” In Igbo language Ifunanya is generally believed to mean love but this is not correct judging by the individual words put together to form the word Ifunanya.
Ifu basically means to see while nanya means with the eyes or in the eyes.
So next time when you hear someone say “afurum gi nanya” know they are saying, I love you…
The Igbo tribe is one of the major tribes in Nigeria.
As other ethnic groups in the world, the Igbo race speak have a particular language that is peculiar to them, officially, it is called igbo.
If you didn’t speak Igbo while growing up, you may have a hard time learning some of the basic languages. especially when you are dating or married to a person from Igbo.
Interpretation of words in the Igbo language may not always be interpreted literally as some are rhetorical and often idiomatic. Nevertheless, the word love in Igbo language means ”Ihunanya” in general Igbo or ”Igbo Izugbe” and”Ifunanya” in some dialects. In direct speech, you can also say ”A huru m GI n’anya”, that is to say, ”I love you”
Ahuru m gi na Anya,’ and should be pronounced Ahurum gi nanya.