pundamilia
The Swahili word for zebra is pundamilia.
pundamilia is used to refer to the African animal known as a zebra.
Meaning: African animal (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
This word is a compound of punda, meaning donkey and milia, meaning stripes.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Kenya, people may refer to zebras as punda-milia.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word pundamilia is used for both the singular and the plural forms.
Did you know?
- Because pundamilia belongs to the A-WA noun class, the grammar rules used to talk about a zebra are identical to those used when talking about a human being.
- The word punda meaning 'donkey' is used in pundamilia because early speakers categorized the zebra as a type of wild donkey.
- The word milia is a versatile term used to describe stripes on any animal, not just those of a pundamilia.
Examples in context
- Nimeshuhudia kundi la punda milia likitembea kwa uzuri kwenye mbuga ya wanyama.I have witnessed a herd of zebras gracefully walking in the game reserve.
- Pundamilia anakimbia sana.The zebra runs very fast.
- Pundamilia ana rangi nyeusi na nyeupe.A zebra has black and white colors.
Example conversation
Neema and Said are visiting a wildlife sanctuary.
- NeemaSaid, tazama pundamilia yule!Said, look at that zebra!
- SaidNi mrembo sana, Neema.It is very beautiful, Neema.
- NeemaNapenda rangi za pundamilia.I love the colors of the zebra.
- SaidMimi pia napenda wanyama hawa.I love these animals too.
