yere
The Twi word for wife is yere. Wiktionary also lists ɔyere.
Meaning: female partner in a marriage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Twi |
|---|
| yere |
| ɔyere |
yere is the term used for a female partner in a marriage.
Which one should you use?
yere is the root form often used in casual speech, while ɔyere is the more complete noun form used in formal syntax. Additionally, the phrase Wo do can be used to mean 'your love' or 'your beloved' when referring to a wife.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Ashanti region of Ghana, the term Nyankoa is used for wife.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate 'his wife' or 'her wife' in a complete sentence, you should add the prefix ɔ- to the word, resulting in ɔyere.
Did you know?
- In traditional Akan culture, the concept of a 'wife' is deeply tied to the matrilineal system, where the children belong to the mother's lineage rather than the father's.
- While yere means 'wife', the word for 'husband' is barima, which literally translates to 'man'.
- The prefix ɔ- in ɔyere is a noun class marker that denotes a human being, a common feature of the Kwa language family.
Examples in context
- Me yere ho yɛ fɛMy wife is beautiful.This sentence is useful for describing the appearance of a yere.
- Kofi yere no yɛ ɔhene.Kofi's wife is a queen.
Example conversation
Kofi is introducing his partner to Afia.
- AfiaHwan ne saa obi no?Who is that person?
- KofiWei ne me yere.This is my wife.
- AfiaƐyɛIt is nice.
- KofiƆyɛ obi a ɔdɔ me paa.She is someone who loves me very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wife” translations and entries yere, ɔyere, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
