ከልቢ
kälbi
The Tigrinya word for dog is ከልቢ (kälbi).
ከልቢ refers to the animal known as a dog.
Meaning: animal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
kälbi
Did you know?
- In many Tigrinya-speaking communities, calling someone a ከልቢ is a severe insult implying a total lack of honor or dignity.
- The word ከልቢ shares a common ancestor with the Arabic word Kalb, meaning they are distant linguistic cousins.
- In some rural Ethiopian and Eritrean contexts, the presence of a ከልቢ near a home is viewed as a practical security measure rather than a domestic pet relationship.
Examples in context
- ከልቢ እሙን እንስሳ እዩ።A dog is a faithful animal.This sentence is useful for describing the qualities of the animal using ከልቢ.Tatoeba #3305024 by oyd11, translation #239220 by AlanF_US
- ምስ ቆልዓ ኣይትምከር፡ ምስ ከልቢ ኣይትተሓባእ።Do not confide in a child, do not hide yourself with a dog.This sentence uses ከልቢ in a metaphorical context regarding trust.Tatoeba #3305128 by oyd11, translation #3305133 by oyd11
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are talking about a pet in the street.
- ሰላም Selamእቲ ከልቢ ርብኣይ እዩ።Eti kelbi rib'ay eyu.That dog is cute.
- ኤፍሬም Efremእወ፡ ንሱ ናይ መን እዩ?Ewe, nusu nay men eyu?Yes, whose is it?
- ሰላም Selamናይ ጎረባብና እዩ።Nay gorebabna eyu.It belongs to our neighbor.
- ኤፍሬም Efremበጣን ከልቢ እዩ።Betan kelbi eyu.It is a well-behaved dog.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dog” translations and entries ከልቢ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ከልቢ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
