Hausa is spoken by around 80 million people (as first or second language) across Nigeria, Niger and the Sahel. It is the leading trade language of West Africa, opening up Kano, Zinder, Sokoto, Maradi and every market in northern Nigeria.
Hausa is one of Africa's largest languages, with around 80 million speakers between first and second language. Spoken in northern Nigeria and southern Niger, but also in pockets across Cameroon, Chad, Ghana and Sudan, it acts as the commercial lingua franca across the West African Sahel. Hausa belongs to the Afro-Asiatic family, Chadic branch: it therefore shares a distant kinship with Arabic and Hebrew, visible in some grammatical features.
The language is marked by a two-register tonal system (high and low) that changes the meaning of words, and by specific glottalized consonants (implosive b, d, k, written with subscript dots). Today Hausa is most often written in a standardized Latin alphabet (boko), but a long tradition of writing in Arabic script (ajami) survives, particularly in religious circles. Grammar is simpler than feared: verbs are lightly conjugated, the word order is subject-verb-object, and person markers are fairly clear.
Traveling in northern Nigeria or Niger without a few Hausa words means missing the heart of the experience. Markets in Kano or Maradi, long ritual greetings, welcomes inside family compounds, everything passes through the language. Saying "Sannu", thanking with "Na gode" or replying "Lahiya lau" when asked how you are: these simple gestures immediately change your status in your hosts' eyes. This kit gathers the bare minimum phrases to handle arrival in Abuja or Niamey, a motorbike-taxi ride, ordering tuwo and a medical emergency.
Here is how these phrases play out in real life. Each scene sets the stage and gathers the useful expressions.
You land in Kano or Abuja early in the day. An agent in a boubou greets you with a warm "Sannu". You reply with the standard morning greetings before asking for directions.
You climb into a shared taxi or a kabu kabu (motorbike taxi). The driver asks who, what, where and when you need to arrive. You reply while showing him the address.
You stop at a roadside mai shayi (tea seller). You order water, milk, rice and some bread. The conversation revolves around the day's specials.
You have had a headache since waking up and your eyes sting. The pharmacist greets you in Hausa, you point to the parts of the body bothering you and ask for the right medicine.
It is the afternoon of departure. You thank your host in Hausa. You wish him a good end of day, a good evening, then say goodbye to the men and women of the household before leaving.
What you need to know before travelling to a haoussa-speaking country.
The Hausa world is majority Sunni Muslim. During Ramadan, do not eat or drink in public during the day. Dress modestly, especially women (shoulders and knees covered).
Greetings are long and highly codified: people ask about family, work, health and tiredness before getting to the point. Rushing a greeting is considered rude.
Use the right hand to eat, give or receive. The left hand, reserved for hygiene, is considered impure in social and food interactions.
Northern Nigerian cuisine revolves around tuwo (millet or rice ball) served with sauce. People often eat seated on the floor around a large communal dish.
Bargaining is expected at every market, especially in Kano or Kaduna. Stay polite, take your time, and avoid hurried or aggressive attitudes.
Respect for elders is central. Avoid interrupting, slightly lower your eyes when addressing an older person, and only shake their hand if they extend theirs first.
The expression "Sannu da aiki" (greetings to the one who works) is a standard politeness when you meet someone hard at work. Reply: "Yauwa, sannu".
In northern Nigeria, dress codes and gender separation can be strict (Sharia is applied in several states). Research the local context before traveling.
Preview. The full glossary (30 words) and all the phrases are in the PDF.
Lahiya lau
very well / in good health
Na gode
thank you
Ba kome
you're welcome / it's nothing
Eh
yes
A'a
no
Don Allah
please
Yi haƙuri
I'm sorry / excuse me
Sai gobe
see you tomorrow
Gaisuwa
greetings
Barka
congratulations / blessing
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Every translation is cross-checked against at least two concordant sources among the references below.
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