Learn → How To Say I LOVE YOU in African Languages

Published January 8, 2023 · Updated March 5, 2023

I Love you in African languages of the continent

Africa is more interconnected than ever before, with our shared love for family, friends, giving to others, our life experiences, and an honest and respectable life. There is much to learn about a region or continent just by observing the way the locals express themselves. Feeling and expressing love and connection is a big part of life. Continue reading to learn how to say I love you in African languages.

>> Read next – How to say:
I love you in different languages and my love in different languages around the world.

An important advantage of traveling is discovering the local language and it’s always a good idea to know a few words of the country you’re visiting.

So the next time you find yourself in Africa, or even live here, I’ve got you covered fellow travel lover. Be sure to bookmark, copy and paste, and save this post on how to say I love you in the languages of Africa for future use and ease of reference.

Click here to also learn how to say:
HELLO in different languages around the world.

The African word for love is used to express emotion, affection, care, intimacy, and romance.

Each language uses different words to express love, however the feeling is usually the same.
Let’s get into it lover…. ↓↓

>> Read next:

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What are the best countries in Africa in 2023?
Feel the rhythm: Top 100 best songs about Africa
How many countries are there in Africa?
The most beautiful African proverbs and quotes about Africa to live by
15 famous landmarks in Africa
10 richest countries in Africa in 2023

Want to learn how to say THANK YOU and GOODBYE too?
Read this guide to say goodbye and thank you in different languages

I LOVE YOU IN AFRICAN LANGUAGES

Here’s your ultimate guide: how to say I love you in African languages of Africa.

With pronunciation.

In brackets you will find how to pronounce the word as it can often be difficult to know how to vocalise the word just by reading or looking at the direct translation.

I have included I love you in all the African languages I could think of. If you don’t spot your language, let me know and I will be happy to add it to this list.

Let’s go…

Click here to also learn how to say:
GOOD MORNING, GOOD NIGHT, and FAMILY around the world.

Continue reading to learn how do you say I LOVE YOU in languages of Africa?

Speaking love, here’s how to tell someone they are beautiful in another language:
Beautiful in different languages

How do you say love in African languages?

Afrikaans

liefde
— love
to say I love you in Afrikaans use either:
Ek is lief vir jou or ek het jou lief.

Afrikaans is a West Germanic language of Southern Africa mostly derived from Dutch. It developed as Dutch settlers and indigenous African mixed languages beginning in the 17th century.

Today, an estimated 15 to 23 million people call Afrikaans their mother tongue. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia and can also be heard in parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Amharic

ፍቅር (fik’iri)
— is the Amharic word for love
I love you in Amharic:
— እወድሃለሁ iwedihalehu or afekrishalehou
for a man

— Ewdeshalehu
for a woman

— Ewedachihualehu
for a group of people

Amharic is a Semitic language and the official language of Ethiopia. It can also be heard in Egypt and Eritrea, as well as in Israel, Sweden, Canada, and the United States.

Arabic

حب (Habb)
— This is the general word for love in Arabic and also the the root of the Arabic terms of endearment habib (for men) and habibi (for women). It can be used to describe romantic love, or love for family, things or activities.

عشق (‘Ishq)
— this word is used to describe the feeling you have when the initial love you feel for someone gets deeper. When in the honeymoon phase of love and are feeling a passionate love for someone, ’ishq is the word to use.

شغف (Shaghaf)
— This word is used to describe the feeling of being crazy deep in love with someone. It is reserved for an intense love or lust.

حنان (Hanaan)
— has several meanings, including compassion, care, and tenderness.

How to express your love in African language of Arabic:

ahabak أحبك
أنا احبك
translates to: You are the love of mine.
How it’s pronounced depends on the gender of the person speaking:

— ana ahibbak أنا بحبَك
as a woman

— ana ahibbik أنا بحبِ
as a man

There are slight regional variations in pronunciation, too. For example, in Palestine or Jordan, people add a “b” sound to say ‘Ana bahibbak’ (as a woman) or ‘Ana bahebik’ (as a man) or ‘Benhibik’ when saying ‘I love you’ to someone of the same sex as themselves.

If you want to reply to someone that told you they love you, you can use the same terms mentioned and add “Aydan” after it, which means “too”

Arabic (العربية) is a Semitic language spoken by over 420 million people as their first language in areas including North Africa, the largest country in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and other parts of the Middle East.

Arabic speaking countries in Africa include Algeria, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, and Tanzania.

Chichewa

Love: chikondi
I love you in African:
Ndimakukonda
Ndimakukondani

Chichewa, also known as Nyanja, is a Bantu language spoken in much of Southern, Southeast and East Africa. It is the national language of Malawi and is also spoken in Zambia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

Africa languages I Love you African language

English

I love you

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in Anglo-Saxon England in the early Middle Ages. It is spoken in many countries around the world with over 375 million native speakers.

English is the second most spoken language, and the most international language in the world.

The number of African countries that use English as one of their main languages – either as an official language or a de facto working language – equals 24.

>> Continue reading to discover more ways to say I love you in Africa language.

French

How to say I love you in African French:

Je t’aime
— the standard way of expressing love, pronounced (Zhuh tem)
Je t’adore
— used to say, I adore you
T’es l’amour de ma vie
— translates to ‘you’re the love of my life’ and is used to express romantic love to your significant other
Je suis fou amoureux de toi
— If you want to be dramatic and say ‘I am madly in love with you’
Mon coeur bat la chamade pour toi
— another love expression meaning ‘My heart beats loudly for you’

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family spoken by over 354 million people in France and around the world. It is the third most spoken language in Europe, the official language of 29 countries, spoken in parts of Africa, North America, and South America.

Africa has the largest number of French speakers in the world with over 120 million people in 24 francophone countries.

French is the official language of 21 countries in Africa. These include Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, and Togo

Take that special someone to the City of Love and stay at one of these best Eiffel Tower view hotels.

Fula

N’jaraama

Fula, also referred to as Fulani or Fulah, is a Senegambian branch of the Niger-Congo language family spoken by more than 40 million people in Central and West Africa.

Hausa

Ina son ka

Hausa language, the most important indigenous bridge language in West and Central Africa, spoken as a first or second language by about 40–50 million people. It belongs to the Western branch of the Chadic language family within the Afro-Asiatic language phylum.

It is spoken mainly in northern Nigeria and Niger, and also in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Germany, Ghana, Sudan, and Togo.

Igbo

Love in African: Ihunanya
I love you: a hụrụ m gị n’anya

Igbo is the principal native language of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria with around 45 million speakers and over 20 dialects.

Kanuri

Nya Raakna
— is the Kanuri phrase for I love you in Africa

Kanuri is language within the Saharan branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family spoken by approximately four million people in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.

Kikuyu

nĩngwendete

Kikuyu or Gĩkũyũ is a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family that is spoken as a first language by over 6.6 million Agĩkũyũ people in Kenya.

Kinyarwanda

ndagukunda

Kinyarwanda, an official language of Rwanda, is a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family that is spoken by at least 10 million people in Rwanda, DR Congo, and Uganda.

Kirundi

Ndagukunda

Kirundi, or Rundi, is a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family, spoken by over 9 million people in Burundi where it is the official language. It is also spoken in parts of Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in Uganda.

Lingala

Love: Bolingo
I love you: Nalingi yo

Lingala is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a large part of the Republic of the Congo by over 70 million people.

Luganda

I love you: nkwagala

Luganda, a Bantu language, is an official language of Uganda along with English and Swahili. It is spoken primarily in Kampala, but may be understood in much of the country and in the African Great Lakes region.

Malagasy

Love in African language: Fitiavana
I love you: Tiako ianao

Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar belonging to the Austronesian Malayo-Polynesia family of languages spoken by 25 million people.

Mauritian Creole

Mo kontant twa
— is the Mauritian Creole word for i love you

Mauritian Creole or Morisien, the de facto language of Mauritius, is a French-based creole language that is closely related to the Rodriguan, Seychellois, and Chagossian Creoles.

Moroccan

Tanbghik تنبغيك
Kanbghik كنبغيك
Ana moajaba bik انا معجب بك

Moroccan Arabic, also known as Darija, is a form of vernacular Arabic spoken in Morocco. It is part of the Maghrebi Arabic dialect continuum, with over 30 million native speakers.

Ndebele

Ngiyakuthanda

Ndebele, an African language of the Nguni group of Bantu languages, is spoken by around 5 million Northern Ndebele people of Zimbabwe.

Nkore

Ninkukunda

Nkore or Runyankore is a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family spoken by approximately 2.3 million Nkore people of south-western Uganda.

Northern Sotho / Sepedi

Ke a go rata

Northern Sotho is a Bantu language spoken primarily in South Africa, where it is one of the 11 official languages. It is spoken by about 4.2 million people in the South African provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Oromo

Sin jaalladha’

Oromo is a Cushitic language spoken by about 30 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Egypt. It is the third largest language in Africa.

Portuguese

How to say I love you in African Portuguese:

Te amo
— pronounced (tay-ah-mo)
Amo te
— pronounced (ah-moh tee)

Portuguese (português) is a Romance language spoken as the official language of Portugal and Brazil. It is also the official language of Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé e Principe, Angola, Mozambique, and the co-official language of East Timor, and Macau. There are around 200 million native Portuguese speakers.

There are six countries in Africa where Portuguese is the main language and these include Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome, Principe, Angola, and Mozambique.

Sesotho

kea u rata

Sesotho (Sotho) is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho-Tswana group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language, South Africa, where it is one of the 11 official languages and in Zimbabwe where it is one of 16 official languages.

Seychellois Creole

Mon kontan Ou
pronounced as (moi-kon-tan-ou)

Seychellois Creole, or Seselwa, is a French-based creole language of the Seychelles, the smallest country in Africa, where it is one of the official languages.

Shona

Ndinokuda

Shona, one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages, is the main language in Zimbabwe.

Somali

Love: Jaceyl
Waan ku jeclahay
— I love you in Somali, pronounced as (one ku je la hi)

Somali, an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by over 16 million people, is an official language of Somalia, a national language in Djibouti, and a working language in the Somali Region of Ethiopia.

Spanish

How to say I love you in African Spanish:

Te amo
— pronounced (Tay-ah-mo)
Te quiero
— pronounced (Tay key-aero)

Both can be used when it comes to letting your loved ones know how you feel, although te amo, which comes directly from Latin, is the stronger of the two.

Spanish is the second most widely used language in the world natively spoken by more than 437 million people including Spain, most of Central and South America, Mexico, and the USA.

Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa.

There are over 21 countries in the world that have Spanish as their official language. It is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula.

Swahili

Pendo or kupenda is the Swahili word for love in African language
nakupenda
— I love you in Swahili, used formally and pronounced as (nah-koo pen-dah)
ninakupenda
— a more informal way to express love to someone in Africa

Swahili is a Bantu languages spoken by the Swahili communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Swati

Ngiyakutsandza
— I love you in Swati, pronounced (near-good-t-sands-a)

Swati is a Bantu language of the Nguni group spoken in Eswatini and South Africa by the Swazi people. It is the official language of Swaziland (along with English) and since 1994 one of the nine indigenous languages to enjoy official recognition in South Africa. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 2.4 million.

Tarifit

ḥemmleɣk (hem-lark)
said to a male
ḥemmleɣkem (hem-lar-kem)
said to a female

Tarifit is spoken by 8 million speakers in Arrif (Northern Africa) and Europe.

Tigrinya

ይፈትወካ`የ! (Yfetwekaye)

Tigrinya is a Semitic language commonly spoken by around 9.85 million people in Eritrea and in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.

Tshivenda

Ndi a ni funa

Tshivenda or Venda is a Bantu language spoken by the Venda people of South Africa where it is an official language.

Tsonga

Ndza ku rhandza

Tsonga is a Bantu language spoken by the Tsonga people totalling 12 million people mainly in South Africa, but also Mozambique and Eswatini.

Tswana

Ke a go rata

Tswana is a Bantu language spoken by about 4.4 million people in Bostwana, where it is the national and majority language, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. The majority of speakers, about 3.6 million, live in South Africa, where the language is officially recognised.

Twi

Me dɔ wo

Twi, or Akan kasa, is a dialect of the Akan Niger-Congo language family spoken by the Akan people in southern and central Ghana.

Wolof

Bugg naa la
— The general statement for I love you in Africa

You could also use:
Dama la buga
Sopp naa la
— more along the lines of I admire you. Used when dating.
Nopp naa la
— the more serious kind of love between partners

Wolof is a national language of Senegal, where it is spoken by approximately 5.4 million people as a first language. It belongs to the Atlantic group of the Niger-Congo language family and is the native language of the Wolof people.

Xhosa

Love in African: uthando
I love you: ndiyakuthanda

Xhosa is a Nguni Bantu language with click consonants and is one of the official languages of South Africa. It is spoken as a first language by approximately 8.2 million people and by another 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province.

Yoruba

Love: ifê, olufê
I love you: Mo ni fe re

Yoruba is a pluricentric language spoken in West Africa with the number of speakers estimated between 30 and 40 million. It is a language spoken principally in Nigeria and Benin, with communities in Sierra Leone, Liberia, other parts of Africa.

Zulu

Love: uthando
I love you: ngiyakuthanda

Zulu is a member of the Bantu/Nguni family of languages. It is one of the official languages of South Africa spoken by about 10 million people mainly in Zululand and northern Natal in South Africa and also in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Eswatini.

Thanks for reading this article on how to say I love you in African language…