ንጉሥ
nəguś/ˈnɨɡus/masculine
The Amharic word for king is ንጉሥ (nəguś). Wiktionary also lists ንጉስ (nəgus).
Meaning: a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation (noun)
Ways to say it
| Amharic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ንጉሥ | nəguś | /ˈnɨɡus/ | masculine |
| ንጉስ | nəgus | masculine |
ንጉሥ refers to a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation.
Which one should you use?
The form ንጉሥ uses the character 'ṣ' (ሥ), while ንጉስ uses the character 's' (ስ).
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of king is ንግሥት.
How do you pronounce it?
nəguś
Did you know?
- In Ethiopia, the title ንጉሥ was often used for regional kings, while the supreme emperor of the entire empire was called ንጉሠ ነገሥት, meaning 'king of kings'.
- The Amharic word ንጉሥ shares an ancient root with the Hebrew word 'noges' meaning 'overseer' or 'taskmaster'.
- Historical Ethiopian kings often claimed the title ንጉሥ by asserting a direct ancestral lineage back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
Examples in context
- ንጉሥ (Nəgus) Menelik II was known for his expansionist policies in the late 19th century.Nəgus Menelik II was known for his expansionist policies in the late 19th century.
- ንጉሥ በቤተ መንግሥት ውስጥ ነው።nigus be betä mængäst wust näw.The king is in the palace.
- ንጉሥ አዲሱን ሕግ አወጀ።nigus addisun hig awädjä.The king announced the new law.
- ንጉሥ በጣም ታላቅ ሰው ነው።nigus betam talaq säw näw.The king is a very great man.
Example conversation
Elias and Helen are looking at a history book.
- ኤልያስ Eliasይህ ንጉሥ ማን ነው?yih nigus man new?Who is this king?
- ሄለን Helenየኢትዮጵያ ንጉሥ ነበር።ye-ethiopia nigus neber.He was a king of Ethiopia.
- ኤልያስ Eliasበጣም ደግ ይመስላል።betam deg yimeslal.He looks very kind.
- ሄለን Helenአዎ፣ በጣም ተወዳጅ ነበር።awo, betam tewodaj neber.Yes, he was very loved.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “king” translations and entries ንጉሥ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ንጉሥ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
