kusasa
The Xhosa word for morning is kusasa.
kusasa is a noun used to refer to the part of the day between dawn and midday.
Meaning: part of the day between dawn and midday (noun)
When do people say it?
When greeting someone in the morning informally, the word Molo is commonly used to mean both 'hi' and 'good morning'.
Did you know?
- In Xhosa, the conceptual link between 'morning' and 'tomorrow' in kusasa reflects a worldview where the next day is viewed as the next sunrise.
- In Xhosa culture, a morning greeting is rarely just a single word. It is often the start of a social ritual where asking about the health and wellbeing of the other person's family is essential for politeness.
- The prefix in kusasa does not just indicate time but classifies the word into a specific noun class, a grammatical feature absent in English.
Examples in context
- Ndivela eBhayi, ndifike kusasa.I arrived from P.E. this morning.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of kusasa when describing a time of arrival.Tatoeba #9247040 by Monde, translation #9247041 by Monde
Example conversation
Two friends are planning a meeting.
- ZolekaSingahlangana kusasa, Thando?Can we meet in the morning, Thando?
- ThandoEwe, Zoleka, ndingakwazi.Yes, Zoleka, I can.
- ZolekaNgubani ozayo kusasa?Who is coming in the morning?
- ThandoSiza sonke.We are all coming.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
