karĩgũ
/kàɾèːɣó/class 12
The English word "girl" is translated into Kikuyu as karĩgũ. It is also spelled mũirĩĩtu. Wiktionary also lists karĩĩgũ and kĩrĩgũ.
Meaning: young female person (noun)
Ways to say it
| Kikuyu | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| karĩgũ | /kàɾèːɣó/ | class 12 |
| karĩĩgũ | class 12 | |
| kĩrĩgũ | /kèɾèːɣó/ | class 7 |
| mũirĩtu | /moìɾéːtú/ /moìɾéːtù(ꜜ)/ (Kiambu) |
class 1 |
| mũirĩĩtu | class 1, alternative form |
The terms are used to refer to a young female person.
Which one should you use?
mũirĩtu is the standard, most common term for a girl or young woman. In contrast, karĩgũ is a more colloquial or informal way to refer to a girl compared to mũirĩtu.
How does it change in a sentence?
The words belong to different noun classes: mũirĩtu and mũirĩĩtu are class-1, whereas karĩgũ and karĩĩgũ are class-12 and kĩrĩgũ is class-7.
How do you pronounce it?
/kàɾèːɣó/
Did you know?
- In traditional Kikuyu culture, the transition from being a mũirĩtu to a woman was historically marked by specific rites of passage. Once these rites were completed, the term would no longer be appropriate.
- The word karĩgũ belongs to the class-12 noun category, which is often used for diminutive forms. This gives the term a smaller or more 'cute' feel compared to the standard mũirĩtu.
- Historical records from 1904 show that the term karĩgũ was already being used to translate 'girl' in the 'Jogowini' dialect of the language.
Example sentences for Kikuyu are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Kamau and Wambui are looking at a family photo.
- KamauWambui, karĩgũ uyu nĩ rũana rũana?Wambui, is this girl a small child?
- WambuiĨĩ, nĩ mwana wa mwarĩ wa ithe.Yes, she is my cousin's child.
- KamauKarĩgũ uyu arĩ na ngoro njega.This girl has a good heart.
- WambuiNĩ wĩngĩ, nĩ mũkindu mũno.You are right, she is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girl” translations and entries karĩgũ, kĩrĩgũ, mũirĩtu, mũirĩĩtu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries karĩgũ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
