gooca Ngai
To say "praise God" in Kikuyu, use gooca Ngai.
gooca Ngai is an expression used to give thanks or glory to God.
What does it mean word for word?
The word Ngai means God.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase can be modified by adding prefixes to the verb to change the subject. To say "we praise God", use tũgooca Ngai by adding the prefix tũ-. To say "he/she praises God", use agũgooca Ngai by adding the subject prefix a-.
Did you know?
- In traditional Kikuyu culture, Ngai was often associated with the sky and the high places, such as the peaks of Mount Kenya.
- Kikuyu is a tonal language, meaning that changing the pitch of a syllable in gooca Ngai could theoretically alter its meaning.
- The name for God, Ngai, is shared with the Maasai language, where it appears as Enkai.
Example conversation
Nyambura and Kamau are discussing a blessing they received.
- NyamburaTũraonire wĩra mwega, gooca Ngai!We found good work, praise God!
- KamauĨĩ, Ngai nĩ mwega mũno.Yes, God is very good.
- NyamburaNĩ kĩndũ kĩnene gooca Ngai tũkĩmĩrĩra.It is a great thing to praise God as we persevere.
- KamauNi wega, Nyambura.It is good, Nyambura.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Ngai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
