ssente
The Luganda word for money is ssente.
ssente refers to currency in a general sense.
Meaning: currency (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
ssente is an invariant noun. It does not change its form to indicate plurality. Instead, the context or accompanying words determine whether you are referring to a single unit or multiple units of currency.
Did you know?
- The phrase okulya ssente literally means 'to eat money', which is used to describe embezzlement or the misappropriation of funds.
- The word ssente originates from the 'cent', the smallest unit of the currency used during the British colonial era in Uganda.
- In many Luganda-speaking contexts, the concept of money is deeply tied to the history of cattle, which served as the primary measure of wealth before modern currency.
Examples in context
- Olina ku ssente?Do you have some money?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has some ssente.Tatoeba #13401251 by ecorralest101, translation #475751 by darinmex
- Nneetaaga ku ssente.I need some money.This sentence is useful for stating that you need some ssente.Tatoeba #13402779 by ecorralest101, translation #2387526 by CK
Example conversation
Babirye and Mukasa are at a market.
- BabiryeMukasa, olina ssente?Mukasa, do you have money?
- MukasaYee, olina ki?Yes, what do you have?
- BabiryeNjagala okugula ebinyama.I want to buy some meat.
- MukasaSsebo, nnaakuwa ssente zino.Sir, I will give you this money.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “money” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
