jẹ
/d͡ʒɛ́/
The Yoruba word for 'eat' is jẹ.
jẹ is the verb used for the action of eating. While jẹ refers to the act of eating itself, it is frequently combined with the noun onun (food) or used as the compound verb jẹun to specifically mean 'to eat a meal'.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify the act of eating a meal, you can use the compound verb jẹun.
How do you pronounce it?
/dʒɛ́/
Did you know?
- In Yoruba, the verb jẹ is also used to say someone is 'eating' or 'consuming' money through corruption or bribery.
- In Yoruba culture, it is traditional and polite to eat with your right hand. Using the left hand to jẹun is often considered offensive or unclean.
- The word jẹ is a tonal verb, and changing the pitch can completely change the meaning to words like 'to be' or 'to be a slave'.
Examples in context
- Mo fẹ́ jẹ oúnjẹ.I want to eat food.
- Ṣé o lè jẹun?Can you eat?
- Wọ́n fẹ́ jẹun níbẹ̀.They want to eat there.
Example conversation
Femi and Folake are at home in the afternoon.
- FemiFolake, ṣé o máa jẹun ní báyìí?Folake, are you going to eat now?
- FolakeBẹ́ẹ̀ ni, mo ti fẹ́ jẹun.Yes, I want to eat.
- FemiJẹ́ kí n ràn ọ́ lọ́wọ́.Let me help you.
- FolakeO ṣeun, Femi.Thank you, Femi.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry jẹ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
