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<!DOCTYPE HTML> <html> <head> <title>Northern Ndebele language</title> <meta name="description" content="Northern Ndebele is a Bantu language spoken in southwestern Zimbabwe and northeastern Botswana." />  <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-WB7PSHBG');</script>  <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.omniglot.com/images/logos/omniglot_thumbnail.jpg" /> <meta property="og:type" content="https://www.facebook.com/pg/Omniglot-100430558332117/posts/" /> <link href="/styles/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <script src="https://the.gatekeeperconsent.com/cmp.min.js" data-cfasync="false"></script> <script async src="//www.ezojs.com/ezoic/sa.min.js"></script> <script> window.ezstandalone = window.ezstandalone || {}; ezstandalone.cmd = ezstandalone.cmd || []; </script></head> <body> <div id="header">  <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-WB7PSHBG" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <p><a href="/index.htm"><img src="/images/logos/header_omniglot.png" width="600" height="70" alt="Omniglot - the online encyclopedia of writing systems & languages" /></a></p> <ul> <li><a href="/index.htm">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/writing/index.htm">Alphabets</a></li> <li><a href="/conscripts/index.htm">Constructed scripts</a></li> <li><a href="/writing/languages.htm">Languages</a></li> <li><a href="/language/phrases/phraseindex.htm">Phrases</a></li> <li><a href="/language/numbers/index.htm">Numbers</a></li> <li><a href="/language/ml.htm">Multilingual Pages</a></li> <li><a href="/search.htm">Search</a></li> <li><a href="/news/index.htm">News</a></li> <li><a href="/about.htm">About</a></li> <li><a href="/contact.htm">Contact</a></li> </ul></div> <div id="bodybox"> <span style="text-align:center;"><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-162"></div> <script> ezstandalone.cmd.push(function() { ezstandalone.showAds(162); }); </script></span><div id="body"> <h1>Northern Ndebele (Sindebele / isiNdebele)</h1> <p>Northern Ndebele a member of the Nguni group of Bantu languages. It is spoken in southwestern Zimbabwe and northeastern Botswana by about 2.6 million people. In Zimbabwe it is spoken in Matabeleland South Province, and in Botswana it is spoken in the North-East District. </p> <p>Northern Ndebele is related to Zulu, and might be considered a variety or descendent of Zulu. This is because the Ndebele people in Zimbabwe are descendents of followers of Mzilikazi (1790-1868), a Zulu king who from South Africa who founded Matabeleland in what is now Zimbabwe. They acquired the name Ndebele through contact with the Ndebele people in South Africa. </p> <p>In South Africa <a href="northernndebele.htm">Northern Ndebele</a> is known as <em>Sindebele saseNyakatho</em> and is spoken in Limpopo Province. It is closely related to the Northern Ndebele of Zimbabwe and Botswana, and there is some mutual intelligibility between them. </p> <h2>Northern Ndebele pronunciation</h2> <p><img src="../images/writing/sindebele.gif" width="610" height="984" alt="Northern Ndebele pronunciation" /> </p> <p><a href="../charts/sindebele.xls">Download an alphabet chart for Northern Ndebele</a> (Excel) </p> <h2>Sample text</h2> <p>Abantu bonke bazalwa bekhululekile njalo belingana kumalungelo abo. Balesipho sikanembeza, ngakho bamele baphathane ngomoya otshengis ubuhlobo lobunye. </p> <h3>Translation</h3> <p>All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.<br /> <em>(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)</em> </p> <p class="info"><a href="/writing/sindebele.htm">Information about Northern Ndebele</a> | <a href="/language/phrases/sindebele.php">Phrases</a> | <a href="/language/numbers/ndebele-northern.htm">Numbers</a></p> <h2>Links</h2> <p>Information about Northern Ndebele<br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindebele_language"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindebele_language</a><br /> <a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ndebele.htm">http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ndebele.htm</a> </p> <p>Northern Ndebele for beginners<br /> <a href="http://northernndebele.blogspot.co.uk/">http://northernndebele.blogspot.co.uk/</a></p> <h2>Bantu languages</h2> <p><a href="/writing/bangi.htm">Bangi</a>, <a href="/writing/basaa.php">Basaa</a>, <a href="/writing/bemba.php">Bemba</a>, <a href="/writing/bena.htm">Bena</a>, <a href="/writing/benga.htm">Benga</a>, <a href="/writing/bhaca.htm">Bhaca</a>, <a href="/writing/bukusu.htm">Bukusu</a>, <a href="/writing/bulu.htm">Bulu</a>, <a href="/writing/centralteke.htm">Central Teke</a>, <a href="/writing/chichewa.php">Chichewa</a>, <a href="/writing/chokwe.htm">Chokwe</a>, <a href="/writing/chuwabu.htm">Chuwabu</a>, <a href="/writing/comorian.htm">Comorian</a>, <a href="/writing/digo.htm">Digo</a>, <a href="/writing/duala.php">Duala</a>, <a href="/writing/eton.htm">Eton</a>, <a href="/writing/ewondo.php">Ewondo</a>, <a href="/writing/fang.htm">Fang</a>, <a href="/writing/ganda.php">Ganda/Luganda</a>, <a href="/writing/gogo.htm">Gogo</a>, <a href="/writing/gusii.htm">Gusii</a>, <a href="/writing/gwere.htm">Gwere</a>, <a href="/writing/haya.htm">Haya</a>, <a href="/writing/hehe.htm">Hehe</a>, <a href="/writing/herero.php">Herero</a>, <a href="/writing/ibinda.htm">Ibinda</a>, <a href="/writing/ikizu.htm">Ikizu</a>, <a href="/writing/ikoma.htm">Ikoma</a>, <a href="/writing/jita.htm">Jita</a>, <a href="/writing/kamba.htm">Kamba</a>, <a href="/writing/kiga.htm">Kiga</a>, <a href="/writing/kikuyu.htm">Kikuyu</a>, <a href="/writing/kimbundu.htm">Kimbundu</a>, <a href="/writing/kinyarwanda.htm">Kinyarwanda</a>, <a href="/writing/kirundi.php">Kirundi</a>, <a href="/writing/kisi.htm">Kisi</a>, <a href="/writing/kongo.htm">Kongo</a>, <a href="/writing/konjo.htm">Konjo</a>, <a href="/writing/koti.htm">Koti</a>, <a href="/writing/kukuya.htm">Kukuya</a>, <a href="/writing/kunda.htm">Kunda</a>, <a href="/writing/kuria.htm">Kuria</a>, <a href="/writing/lambya.htm">Lambya</a>, <a href="/writing/lingala.htm">Lingala</a>, <a href="/writing/loma.htm">Loma</a>, <a href="/writing/lozi.htm">Lozi</a>, <a href="/writing/lubakatanga.htm">Luba-Katanga</a>, <a href="/writing/luchazi.htm">Luchazi</a>, <a href="/writing/lunda.htm">Lunda</a>, <a href="/writing/luvale.htm">Luvale</a>, <a href="/writing/makaa.htm">Makaa</a>, <a href="/writing/makonde.htm">Makonde</a>, <a href="/writing/makhuwa.php">Makhuwa</a>, <a href="/writing/nko.htm">Mandekan</a>, <a href="/writing/maore.htm">Maore</a>, <a href="/writing/masaaba.htm">Masaaba</a>, <a href="/writing/mbukushu.htm">Mbukushu</a>, <a href="/writing/mbunda.htm">Mbunda</a>, <a href="/writing/mende.htm">Mende</a>, <a href="/writing/mongo.htm">Mongo</a>, <a href="/writing/zigula.htm">Mushungulu</a>, <a href="/writing/mwani.htm">Mwani</a>, <a href="/writing/nambya.htm">Nambya</a>, <a href="/writing/nande.htm">Nande</a>, <a href="/writing/ngoni.htm">Ngoni</a>, <a href="/writing/nkore.htm">Nkore</a>, <a href="/writing/northteke.htm">North Teke</a>, <a href="/writing/northernndebele.htm">Northern Ndebele (South Africa)</a>, <a href="/writing/sindebele.htm">Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe)</a>, <a href="/writing/nsotho.htm">Northern Sotho</a>, <a href="/writing/nyamwezi.htm">Nyamwezi</a>, <a href="/writing/nyakyusa.htm">Nyakyusa</a>, <a href="/writing/nyemba.htm">Nyemba</a>, <a href="/writing/nyole.htm">Nyole</a>, <a href="/writing/nyungwe.htm">Nyungwe</a>, <a href="/writing/nzadi.htm">Nzadi</a>, <a href="/writing/oroko.htm">Oroko</a>, <a href="/writing/oshiwambo.php">OshiWambo</a>, <a href="/writing/pagibete.htm">Pagibete</a>, <a href="/writing/punu.htm">Punu</a>, <a href="/writing/ronga.htm">Ronga</a>, <a href="/writing/safwa.htm">Safwa</a>, <a href="/writing/sena.htm">Sena</a>, <a href="/writing/sengele.htm">Sengele</a>, <a href="/writing/shona.php">Shona</a>, <a href="/writing/soga.htm">Soga</a>, <a href="/writing/songe.htm">Songe</a>, <a href="/writing/ndebele.php">Southern Ndebele</a>, <a href="/writing/sesotho.htm">Southern Sotho</a>, <a href="/writing/sukuma.htm">Sukuma</a>, <a href="/writing/swahili.htm">Swahili</a>, <a href="/writing/swati.php">Swati</a>, <a href="/writing/tanga.htm">Tanga</a>, <a href="/writing/tembo.htm">Tembo</a>, <a href="/writing/tonga.htm">Tonga</a>, <a href="/writing/tshiluba.php">Tshiluba</a>, <a href="/writing/tsonga.php">Tsonga</a>, <a 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