ūka
The Kikuyu verb ūka means to come, to arrive or to appear.
ūka is used to describe the action of arriving at a destination or appearing in a location.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
Did you know?
- The verb ūka can be modified by suffixes to indicate if the person arrived and then left, packing an entire round trip into a single word.
- Kikuyu employs a complex system of noun classes that influences how ūka is conjugated when referring to humans versus animals or inanimate objects.
- Because Kikuyu is a Bantu language, ūka shares a distant linguistic root with similar words for 'come' found in languages across Central and Southern Africa.
Examples in context
- Njoo hapaCome here
- Njoo karibuCome closer
Example conversation
Wambui is asking Kamau when he will arrive at her home.
- WambuiKamau, nĩ ūka rĩu?Kamau, are you coming now?
- KamauEe, nĩ ngũka thutha wa saa imwe.Yes, I will come after one o'clock.
- WambuiNĩ wega, ūka tũrĩe irio.That is good, come so we can eat.
- KamauNĩ ngũka rĩu.I am coming now.
