Free survival kit

Fon survival kit

The 20 essential phrases and 100 key words to get by in Fon when travelling.

20 phrases
100 key words in the PDF

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Greetings

Fon	English
Kúdɔ́	hello / good day
A fɔ́n gangi à	good morning (lit. did you wake up well?)
Kú d'agbada	good evening
A wǎ	welcome
Awǎnú	thank you
Ɛɛn	yes
Eǒ	no
Kɛnklɛ́n	please

Asking for directions

Fon	English
xwé	house
xwégbè	at home
hɔ̀n	door
gle	village / field

Emergencies

Fon	English
ta	head
núkún	eye
tó	ear
nù	mouth

At the restaurant

Fon	English
sin	water
anɔsin	milk
blɛ́di	bread
lan	meat

30 key words to remember

Fon	English
Ó dàbɔ́	goodbye
nyí	to be
ɖó	to have
ɖò	to be (located)
yi	to go
wá	to come
ɖu	to eat
nù	to drink
mlɔ́	to sleep
ɖɔ̀	to speak / to say
sè	to hear / to listen
mɔ̀	to see
tuùn	to know
jló	to want
wà	to do / make
ná	to give
sɔ́	to take
xɔ̀	to buy
sà	to sell
xà	to read / count
wlán	to write
tɔ́	father
nɔ̀	mother
ví	child
nɔvi	sibling
asú	husband
asì	wife
tɔ́gbó	grandfather
nɔ̀gbó	grandmother
vísunnu	son

In context: 5 scenes to get by

On arrival

You arrive in Cotonou and your host welcomes you. You greet with "Kúdɔ́", followed by "A fɔ́n gangi à" in the morning or "Kú d'agbada" in the evening. An "A wǎ" (welcome) from your host marks a warm reception.

Kúdɔ́ : hello / good day
A fɔ́n gangi à : good morning (lit. did you wake up well?)
Kú d'agbada : good evening
A wǎ : welcome

In a taxi

The taxi or zemidjan (motorbike taxi) driver asks where you are going. You give the "xwé" (house) or "gle" (village) you are heading to, specifying the "hɔ̀n" (door) where you want to stop. Be clear and the ride will be smoother.

xwé : house
xwégbè : at home
hɔ̀n : door
gle : village / field

At the café

At the maquis or with a vendor, you order water ("sin"), some milk ("anɔsin"), bread ("blɛ́di") and meat ("lan"). A "Kɛnklɛ́n" (please) opens the order, an "Awǎnú" closes it.

sin : water
anɔsin : milk
blɛ́di : bread
lan : meat

In an emergency

You don't feel well: your head ("ta") or eye ("núkún") hurts, your ear ("tó") rings, your mouth ("nù") is dry. You point to the area and name the body part: pointing often speeds up care.

ta : head
núkún : eye
tó : ear
nù : mouth

On departure

Before leaving Cotonou or Abomey, you thank your hosts with a sincere "Awǎnú". You answer "Ɛɛn" (yes) or "Eǒ" (no) to last questions, and you wrap up with a polite "Kɛnklɛ́n" to signal you are taking leave.

Awǎnú : thank you
Ɛɛn : yes
Eǒ : no
Kɛnklɛ́n : please

Cultural notes

Fon is a tonal language: the same syllable can change meaning depending on whether the tone is high, low or contour. The accents on vowels (á, à, ǎ) mark these pitches and should not be ignored.
"Kúdɔ́" is the general greeting. Depending on the moment, you can complete it: "A fɔ́n gangi à" (literally "did you wake up well?") in the morning, "Kú d'agbada" in the evening.
Voodoo (Vodun) was born in Fon country before crossing the Atlantic with the slave trade. It is a structured religion, not folklore: in Ouidah or Abomey, broach the subject respectfully.
The Kingdom of Dahomey, which flourished from the 17th to the 19th century from Abomey, left a rich oral and artistic tradition. A visit to the royal palace of Abomey, a World Heritage site, illuminates Fon historical pride.
Greetings unfold step by step: people ask after each other before the topic of the day. "Awǎnú" (thank you) always closes exchanges warmly.
Beninese international diva Angelique Kidjo regularly sings in Fon. A close listen to her music tunes the ear to the language's tonal melody.
Fon is written in an extended Latin alphabet (ɖ, ɛ, ɔ, ŋ) standardised in the 20th century. The spelling may seem disorienting at first, but it is very regular once learned.
At Dantokpa market in Cotonou, bargaining is expected but stays polite. Greeting the seller in Fon before discussing prices shifts the tone of the negotiation.

Keep the whole kit on your phone

The 20 phrases, 100 key words and the cultural notes in a PDF to keep offline or print. We also send it to you by e-mail.

A smiling grandmother holds a baby in her arms

A family language

Reconnect with Fon

The language of your parents, your grandparents or your partner. The one you want to pass on to your children.

A couple in olive green traditional attire — Speaking the language of the country means reconnecting with its people.

A mother smiles at the little girl in her arms — Now, at home, we speak Fon.

A young woman smiles, phone in hand — “Hi Mum, I speak Fon!”

A father hugs his laughing daughter — Children who speak Fon are the greatest cultural wealth you can bring to your family.

A grandmother in a yellow headscarf holds a young child close — Your grandparents’ Fon should not end with them.

Finally understand what is said at the table, and answer back.
Your in-laws speak Fon to you. Answer them in Fon.

A language is passed down from generation to generation. Now it is your turn.

Start Fon for free

About this kit

Fon is the main language of southern Benin, spoken by around 2 million people. Heir to the Kingdom of Dahomey and cradle of voodoo, it influenced the Caribbean and the Americas through the diaspora. With this kit, you have the bare minimum to greet, find your way and start a conversation during a trip to Cotonou, Abomey or Ouidah.

Fon (fɔ̀ngbè) belongs to the Gbe group of the Kwa family. It is the main language of southern Benin, spoken by around 2 million people, and one of the country's national languages. It is very close to Ewe (spoken in Togo and Ghana), with which it forms a largely mutually intelligible Gbe continuum.

Fon is the historic language of the Kingdom of Dahomey, which flourished from the 17th to the 19th century from Abomey. It is also the mother language of voodoo (Vodun), a structured religion that crossed the Atlantic with the slave trade and deeply shaped Haitian, Brazilian and Cuban cultures. Today Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Abomey and Ouidah still hum with daily life in Fon.

The language has a tonal system: three tones (high, low, contour) can change a word's meaning. Its grammar is analytical, without complex conjugation, with subject-verb-object order and clear aspect particles. The extended Latin alphabet, standardised in the 20th century, includes letters such as "ɖ", "ɛ", "ɔ" and "ŋ". For travellers, a few words of Fon immediately open warm conversations, and any linguistic effort is greatly appreciated.

This kit gathers the bare essentials to handle an arrival in Cotonou, a taxi or zemidjan ride, a market order, a small medical concern and a smooth departure. You will find indispensable greetings, survival words for orientation, key vocabulary for daily life and cultural tips to avoid faux pas. Memorise these expressions before leaving and you will gain confidence from the first hours on the ground.

Sources and references

Every translation is cross-checked against at least two concordant sources among the references below.

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