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<!DOCTYPE HTML> <html> <head> <title>Luba-Katanga language and alphabet</title> <meta name="description" content="Luba-Katanga is a Bantu language spoken in the southeast of the DRC by about 1.5 million people." />  <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>Luba-Katanga (Kiluba)</h1> <p>Luba-Katanga is a Bantu language spoken by about 1.5 million people in Katanga Province in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly in Kabongo, Kamina, Luena, Lubudi, Malemba Nkulu, Mulongo, Kabalo and Kaniama. It is mainly spoken by the Baluba people, and is also spoken and/or understood by other people who live in the same area. </p> <p><iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d8066552.603776843!2d20.962255536902465!3d-9.177334718679349!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x199cf64bc51eb983%3A0x82ccbafdd5a36c47!2sKatanga%2C%20Democratic%20Republic%20of%20the%20Congo!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1699971097940!5m2!1sen!2suk" width="400" height="300" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe> </p> <p>Luba-Katanga is also known as Luba-Shaba or Luba. Native speakers call it <em>Kiluba</em>. Dialects include Hemba, Kanyok, Lwalu and Songe. It is closely related to <a href="tshiluba.php">Tshiluba</a>. </p> <p>Along with Swahili, Lingala and Kikongo, Luba-Katanga is one of the national languages of the DRC. It was first written in the mid-20th century using the Latin alphabet. </p> <h2>Luba-Katanga alphabet</h2> <p><img src="../images/writing/lubakatanga.gif" width="590" height="538" alt="Luba-Katanga alphabet" /> </p> <h3>Notes</h3> <ul> <li>Between vowels, w and y, b is pronounced [β] and p is pronounced [ɸ].</li> <li>H appears mainly in loanwords and personal names</li> </ul> <p><a href="../charts/lubakatanga.xls">Download an alphabet chart for Luba-Katanga</a> (Excel)<br /> <a href="../charts/lubakatanga.pdf">Details of the Luba-Katanga alphabet</a> provided by Wolfram Siegel </p> <h2>Sample text</h2> <p>Pādi palembwe amba mwingidi wa “Tattannu, muledi wa Bukila bwa Munonga” —ko kunena’mba i enka Tatenai utelelwe ne mu mukanda wa mu Bible wa Ezela. </p> <h3>Translation</h3> <p>It identifies a witness to the transaction as a servant of "Tattannu, governor of Across-the-River" - the same Tattenai who appears in the Bible book of Ezra. </p> <p>Source: <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luba-Katanga_language#Sample_text">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luba-Katanga_language#Sample_text</a></em> </p> <h2>Sample videos in Luba-Katanga</h2> <div class="intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j9s-QChdLdE" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <div class="intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EzHoc0ScEyo" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <div class="intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gs3Sc89cQL4" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <p class="info"><a href="/writing/lubakatanga.htm">Information about Luba-Katanga</a> | <a href="/language/numbers/lubakatanga.htm">Numbers</a></p> <h2>Links</h2> <p>Information about Luba-Katanga<br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luba-Katanga_language">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luba-Katanga_language</a><br /> <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiluba">https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiluba</a><br /> <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luba-katanga">https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luba-katanga</a><br /> <a href="http://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/luba.html">http://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/luba.html</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 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