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<!DOCTYPE HTML> <html> <head> <title>Kimbundu language and alphabet</title> <meta name="description" content="Kimbundu is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of Angola by about 2.1 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>Kimbundu</h1> <p>Kimbundu is a Bantu language spoken mainly in Bengo and Malanje provinces in the northwest of Angola. It is also spoken in Kuanza Sul, Luanda and Uíge provinces In 2014 there were about 2.1 million speakers of Kimbundu, which is also known as Dongo, Kimbundo, Kindongo, Loanda Mbundu, Loande, Luanda, Lunda, Mbundu, N'bundo, Nbundu, Ndongo or North Mbundu. </p> <p>Kimbundu was first written by missionaries with the aim of teach Kimbundu speakers Portuguese and the Catholic catechism. A Swiss missionary, Héli Chatelain, published a grammar of Kimbundu at the end of the 19th century. </p> <h2>Kimbundu alphabet and pronunciation</h2> <p><img src="../images/writing/kimbundu.gif" width="595" height="310" alt="Kimbundu alphabet and pronunciation" /> </p> <p><a href="../charts/kimbundu.xls">Download an alphabet chart for Kimbundu</a> </p> <h2>Sample text</h2> <p>O athu woso avwala abhuluka ni kusokela mu kijingu ni mu itekelu. Ene ala ni ulungilu ni kilunji ni atokala kulaya kumoxi nya akwa mu mixima ya undandu. </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><em>Information provided by Michael Peter Füstumum</em> </p> <h2>Sample videos in Kimbundu</h2> <div class="intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a7rbopMACEo" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <div class="intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1F8r8sCK2o4" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <div class="intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8Lw2t8MF_1Y" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <p class="info"><a href="/writing/kimbundu.htm">Information about Kimbundu</a> | <a href="/language/numbers/kimbundu.htm">Numbers</a></p> <h2>Links</h2> <p>Information about Kimbundu<br /> <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbundu">https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbundu</a><br /> <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbundu">https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimbundu</a><br /> <a href="https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/kimb1241">https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/kimb1241</a><br /> <a href="https://www.ethnologue.com/language/kmb">https://www.ethnologue.com/language/kmb</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 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