ውሃ
wəha
Water in Amharic is ውሃ (wəha).
ውሃ refers to the inorganic compound H₂O.
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced wəha.
Did you know?
- The Amharic word for 'water' ውሃ is used in the phrase ውሃው ተበላሸ, which literally means 'the water is spoiled' but is used to describe water that is contaminated or non-potable.
- Amharic uses a 'syllabary' script called 'fidel', meaning the character ው in ውሃ represents a consonant and a vowel combined into one single glyph.
- In Ethiopian coffee ceremonies, water is not just a drink but a ritualistic necessity for cleansing the coffee beans and the tools used.
Examples in context
- ውሃን አልጠጣሁም።I didn't drink the water.Tatoeba #3864387 by turklehceleri, translation #2652819 by CK
- ውሃ በጣም ቀዝቃዛ ነው።wuha betam qezqaza new.The water is very cold.
- አንድ ብርጭቆ ውሃ እፈልጋለሁ።and birchiqo wuha efelgalew.I want a glass of water.
Example conversation
Abel and Sara are at a restaurant.
- አቤል Abelሳራ፣ ውሃ አለሽ?Sara, wuha alesh?Sara, do you have water?
- ሳራ Saraአዎ፣ እዚህ አለ።Awo, ezih ale.Yes, it is here.
- አቤል Abelአመሰግናለሁ።Ameseginalew.Thank you.
- ሳራ Saraምንም አይደለም።Minim aydelem.You're welcome.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries ውሃ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
