Learn Zarma: Complete Beginner's Guide

Introduction

Zarma (also spelled "Djerma" or "Zerma") is one of the great languages of Niger, spoken by approximately 5 million people. Language of the Zarma people — the second largest ethnic group in Niger after the Hausa — it is the dominant language of the capital Niamey and the entire western part of the country. Zarma is also the language that greets you when you travel down the Niger River by pirogue.

Zarma belongs to the Nilo-Saharan language family, Songhay branch. It is the linguistic heir of the legendary Songhai Empire (15th-16th century), one of the greatest empires Africa has ever known, with its capital Gao (present-day Mali) and its mythical cities of Timbuktu and Djenné.

1. Why learn Zarma in 2026?
2. The Zarma people and Niger
3. Pronunciation and tonal system
4. Essential vocabulary
5. Zarma grammar
6. The Songhai Empire: historical heritage
7. Zarma culture: griots, ceremonies and traditions
8. The Zarma diaspora
9. How to start learning
10. Sources and references

Why Learn Zarma in 2026?

The language of Niamey

Zarma is the lingua franca of Niamey, Niger's capital (over 1.5 million inhabitants). Even non-Zarma people in Niamey speak Zarma in daily life. If you travel to Niger, Zarma is your key to the capital and the entire western part of the country.

The heritage of the Songhai Empire

Speaking Zarma means touching the language of the Songhai Empire — the empire of Sonni Ali Ber, Askia Mohamed, Timbuktu and its legendary universities. The Songhay languages (Zarma, Songhay proper, Dendi) carry the linguistic DNA of this fascinating civilisation.

No competitor teaches it

Zarma is absent from all online learning platforms. Neither Duolingo, nor Babbel, nor Preply offer it. Targumi is among the first to provide structured Zarma courses with native teachers.

The Nigerien diaspora in France

The Nigerien community in France is estimated at around 30,000 to 50,000 people, with a significant proportion of Zarma speakers. In Paris (particularly the 18th arrondissement), Lyon and Marseille, Zarma is spoken in homes, associations and cultural events.

The Zarma People and Niger

Niger: at the heart of the Sahel

Niger is one of Africa's largest countries (1.27 million km²), but also one of its most arid. The Niger River — Africa's third longest river — crosses the south-west of the country, creating a fertile strip where the Zarma live. It was along this river that the Songhai civilisation developed.

Social organisation

Zarma society is hierarchical with hereditary castes:

• Nobles (boro) — chiefs and warriors
• Griots (jesere) — masters of speech and music
• Blacksmiths (danga) — metalworkers
• Weavers (cabbay)

Griots (jesere) hold a central place: they are the keepers of history, genealogists, musicians and social mediators.

Niamey: a Zarma capital

Niamey, founded in the 19th century, became Niger's capital in 1926. It is a predominantly Zarma city, even though all of Niger's ethnicities coexist there. The Grand Marché, the National Museum and the Kennedy Bridge over the Niger are landmarks of this rapidly growing city.

Pronunciation and Tonal System

The Zarma alphabet

Zarma is written in the Latin alphabet with some specific characters:

The ŋ: velar nasal, like ng in English "ring"

The ɲ: like ny in "canyon"

Long vowels: doubled (aa, ee, ii, oo, uu) — length changes meaning

The tonal system

Zarma is a tonal language with 2 main tones: high and low. Tone can change word meaning:

• bi (high tone) = black
• bi (low tone) = today

Zarma also has a modulated tone (rising or falling) on certain words.

Accessible pronunciation

Good news: Zarma is considered one of the most phonetically accessible African languages for English and French speakers. No clicks (like Zulu), no emphatic consonants (like Arabic) — just the tones to master.

Essential Vocabulary

Greetings

Basic words

Numbers 1 to 10

Family

Nature and environment

Zarma Grammar

Word order: SOV

Zarma follows Subject-Object-Verb order:

• Ay hari haŋ = I water drink (I drink water)
• Boro din fu kaa = That man house comes (That man comes to the house)

Personal pronouns

Negation

Negation is formed with si placed after the subject:

• Ay koy = I go → Ay si koy = I don't go
• A na haŋ = He ate → A mana haŋ = He didn't eat

Postpositions

Unlike English which uses prepositions (in, on, at), Zarma uses postpositions — they come AFTER the noun:

• fu ra = in the house (house + in)
• tuuri boŋ = on the tree (tree + on)

The aspect system

Zarma distinguishes aspect rather than tense. What matters is whether the action is completed (perfective) or ongoing (imperfective), more than when it occurs.

The Songhai Empire: Historical Heritage

The Songhai Empire (1464-1591)

The Songhai Empire was one of the greatest empires of West Africa:

• Sonni Ali Ber (1464-1492): founder of the empire, conqueror of Timbuktu and Djenné
• Askia Mohamed (1493-1528): apex of the empire, pilgrimage to Mecca, development of the University of Sankoré in Timbuktu

At its height, the Songhai Empire covered territory stretching from Senegal to Nigeria, over one million km². Timbuktu was one of the world's great intellectual centres, with a university (Sankoré) that attracted students from across the Muslim world.

Timbuktu and the manuscripts

The city of Timbuktu housed tens of thousands of manuscripts — scientific, religious, legal and literary texts — written in Arabic and local languages. These manuscripts prove that West Africa had a sophisticated written intellectual tradition long before colonisation.

Linguistic heritage

Zarma is the heir to this civilisation. The Songhay languages (Zarma, Songhay, Dendi) share a common vocabulary and grammatical structure born from this imperial history.

Zarma Culture: Griots, Ceremonies and Traditions

Griots (jesere)

Zarma griots (jesere) are the masters of speech. They sing genealogies, recount history, mediate conflicts and animate ceremonies. The griot plays the molo (single-stringed lute) and the godji (single-stringed fiddle). Zarma griot music is mesmerising — hypnotic melodies over repetitive rhythms.

Bori: spirit possession cult

Bori (or Holey) is a spirit possession cult practised by the Zarma and the Hausa. During possession ceremonies, spirits (holey) "mount" the bodies of devotees to the sound of drums and chanting. It is a complex cosmological system that coexists with Islam.

Zarma cuisine

Zarma cuisine is based on millet, sorghum and rice:

• Tuwo: millet paste, the staple food
• Foura: millet porridge flavoured with ginger
• Kilishi: spiced dried meat

Zarma weddings

A Zarma wedding is a community event lasting several days. The griot plays a central role: negotiating the bride price, singing family praises and animating festivities.

The Zarma Diaspora

The Zarma diaspora is found mainly in France (Paris, Lyon), Ivory Coast (Abidjan, historically the preferred destination for Nigerien migrants), neighbouring Nigeria and Gulf states.

For young Zarma people born in France or Ivory Coast, Zarma is often threatened by French or Hausa — the more widely spoken language of Niger. Maintaining Zarma is an act of identity.

How to Start Learning

1. Master Fofo — the universal Zarma greeting
2. Learn the tones — only 2 tones, more accessible than many African languages
3. Memorise the 50 essential words — family, food, nature, numbers
4. Listen to griot music — the molo and godji are mesmerising
5. Find a native teacher — tones and postpositions need guidance

Learn Zarma with Targumi

At Targumi, Zarma is part of our catalogue of over 106 languages:

• Native Zarma teachers from Niamey and Dosso
• Video call lessons — individual or small groups
• Progressive method adapted to complete beginners

Discover our Zarma courses

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Article written by Abdoulaye Maïga, Zarma linguist from Niamey, specialist in Songhay languages of Niger.

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Sources and References

• Zarma — Ethnologue: Zarma has approximately 4.3 million speakers. Family: Nilo-Saharan, Songhay branch.
• Bernard Y. & White-Kaba M., Zarma-French Dictionary, INDRAP, Niamey.
• Targumi — Learn Zarma: courses with native teachers.

Further Reading

• Learn Hausa — Niger's other great language
• Learn Bambara — Mande language of neighbouring Mali
• Learn Moore — language of neighbouring Burkina Faso
• All languages on Targumi — 106 languages taught