hanzvadzi
The Shona word for sister is hanzvadzi.
hanzvadzi refers to a woman or girl who shares the same parents as another person.
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word hanzvadzi remains the same in its plural form.
When do people say it?
When addressing older sisters, it is customary to show respect through appropriate body language, such as nodding or slightly bowing your head.
Did you know?
- The word hanzvadzi functions as a 'cross-gender' term, meaning a woman uses it for her brother and a man uses it for his sister.
- You can use hanzvadzi to refer to a close friend of the opposite sex, even if there is no biological connection between you.
- The word hanzvadzi is gender-neutral and is used to refer to both a brother and a sister.
Examples in context
- Hanzvadzi yangu inoda kutamba.My sister likes to dance.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use hanzvadzi to describe a person's preferences.Tatoeba #4838919 by Balamax, translation #4748848 by Sglod
Example conversation
Tatenda is asking about his sister's whereabouts.
- TatendaHanzvadzi yangu iri kupi?Where is my sister?
- TendaiHanzvadzi yako iri mukicheni.Your sister is in the kitchen.
- TatendaNdinoda kutaura nayo.I want to speak with her.
- TendaiEnda uone hanzvadzi yako.Go and see your sister.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
