imali
/ímaːlí/class 10, class 9
The Zulu word for money is imali.
imali is used to refer to currency in a general sense.
Meaning: currency (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
imali belongs to noun classes 9 and 10.
How do you pronounce it?
/ímaːlí/
Did you know?
- In traditional Zulu culture, cattle were the primary form of imali long before the introduction of minted coins or banknotes.
- The word originates from the Arabic word māl, meaning 'property' or 'wealth', which traveled through Swahili trade routes into Zulu.
- Phrases involving imali are frequently used in Zulu idioms to describe someone's social status or power rather than their actual bank balance.
Examples in context
- Ngidinga imali yami.I need my money.
- Ngifuna ukusebenzisa imali yami.I want to use my money.
Example conversation
Nomusa and Mlungisi are discussing their budget at home.
- NomusaMlungisi, unayo imali?Mlungisi, do you have money?
- MlungisiCha, anginayo imali manje.No, I don't have money right now.
- NomusaKumele sithole imali maduze.We must get money soon.
- MlungisiYebo, ngizozama ukuyithola.Yes, I will try to get it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “money” translations and entries imali, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries imali, CC BY-SA 4.0.
