ውሻ
wəša/ˈwɨʃːa/
The English word "dog" is translated into Amharic as ውሻ (wəša). It is also spelled ዉሻ (wuša). Wiktionary also lists ከልብ (kälb).
Meaning: animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Amharic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ውሻ | wəša | /ˈwɨʃːa/ | |
| ከልብ | kälb | ||
| ዉሻ | wuša | /ˈwuʃːa/ | alternative form |
The word refers to the canine animal.
Which one should you use?
ውሻ is the standard spelling, while ዉሻ is an alternative spelling of the same word. ከልብ is another way to refer to a dog.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is wəša. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɨʃːa/.
Did you know?
- In Amharic, calling someone a ውሻ can be a severe insult, often implying the person is shameless or low-life.
- The word ውሻ is actually a reanalysed version of a plural word from the Sidamo language, where it originally meant 'dogs'.
Examples in context
- ውሻው በጣም ይጮኻል።wushaw betam yichohal.The dog barks a lot.
- ውሻው ምግብ ይፈልጋል።wushaw migib yifeligal.The dog wants food.
Example conversation
Dawit and Helen are talking about pets.
- ዳዊት Dawitሄለን ውሻ አለሽ?Helen wusha alesh?Helen, do you have a dog?
- ሄለን Helenአዎ፣ ትንሽ ውሻ አለኝ።Awo, tinish wusha alen.Yes, I have a small dog.
- ዳዊት Dawitስሙ ማን ነው?Simu man new?What is its name?
- ሄለን Helenስሙ ቶቢ ይባላል።Simu Toby yibalal.His name is Toby.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dog” translations and entries ውሻ, ከልብ, ዉሻ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ከልብ, ውሻ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
