uruhinja
The Kinyarwanda word for baby is uruhinja.
uruhinja refers to a very young human being.
Meaning: very young human being (noun)
Did you know?
- The word uruhinja belongs to a specific noun class that groups humans together with certain organic objects.
- While uruhinja refers to a baby, Rwandan culture often uses terms of endearment related to 'smallness' or 'preciousness' when speaking to an infant, which are different from the standard dictionary term.
- In traditional Rwandan culture, the care of an uruhinja was often shared by the extended family, with specific roles for aunts and uncles.
Example conversation
Patrick and Alice are looking at a photo.
- PatrickUruhuinja ni rwiza cyane.The baby is very beautiful.
- AliceYego, rurasekeje.Yes, it is smiling.
- PatrickUruhinja rureba nk'uwe.The baby looks like you.
- AliceNi byo, rurasa nanjye.That's true, it looks like me.
