Yaakunte–English Word List
Yaakunte (Yaaku)
Yaakunte is the ancestral Cushitic language of the Yaaku (Yiaku) people of the Mukogodo Forest in Laikipia, Kenya. Almost the entire community now speaks Maa, and only a few elders retain fluent Yaakunte, making it one of the most critically endangered languages in East Africa.
- Family
- Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic (Lowland East Cushitic)
- Countries
- Kenya
- Region
- Mukogodo Forest, Doldol, Laikipia County
- Speakers
- A handful of elderly semi-speakers; no reliable count
- Status
- Critically endangered
- Livelihood
- Forest beekeeping
- Entries
- 67
- Edition
- First digital edition, 2026
How to use this list
Entries are ordered by their English meaning. Each entry gives the Yaakunte headword, pronunciation where recorded, part of speech, the English sense, and an example sentence when a speaker supplied one. Words marked community contribution were submitted through the public archive and approved by Discussion Dictionary editors before publication.
Word list
- 1.tukutukquantifier— all
- 2.rominoun— ashes
- 3.ireinoun— belly
- 4.teinadjective— big
- 5.legeinoun— bird
- 6.kumbuadjective— black
- 7.sogonoun— blood
- 8.muchonoun— bone
- 9.sgillinoun— claw
- 10.katamboinoun— cloud
- 11.dematoadjective— cold
- 12.kwehennoun— dog
- 13.cheeanadjective— dry
- 14.nibenoun— ear
- 15.kecheposhonnoun— egg
- 16.ilanoun— eye
- 17.sekeadjective— far
- 18.pa-noun— father
- 19.ikunoun— fire
- 20.singirinoun— fish
- 21.esanitnoun— fly (insect)
- 22.mijjinoun— foot
- 23.shoboshonadjective— good
- 24.hiletnoun— grass
- 25.risitnoun— hair
- 26.tegeinoun— hand
- 27.miteinoun— head
- 28.icheinoun— heart
- 29.opetnoun— horn
- 30.kongopronoun— I
- 31.ieinoun— man
- 32.iyounoun— meat
- 33.leenoun— moon
- 34.ishinoun— name
- 35.tochononoun— neck
- 36.wehenumeral— one
- 37.sohonoun— rain
- 38.wehenadjective— red
- 39.darnoun— road, path
- 40.keshinoun— skin
- 41.niinadjective— small
- 42.murhotnoun— snake
- 43.esonoun— star
- 44.tebunoun— stone
- 45.tezonoun— sun
- 46.kidongoinoun— tail
- 47.haatnumeral— three
- 48.aleheverb— to come
- 49.akehetverb— to die
- 50.n-ukhaverb— to drink
- 51.-detaverb— to eat
- 52.-per-verb— to fly
- 53.iinverb— to give
- 54.chehenverb— to know
- 55.okhoiverb— to say
- 56.-doyiaverb— to see
- 57.nbomiverb— to sleep
- 58.habiverb— to walk
- 59.erenoun— tongue
- 60.inji-tnoun— tooth
- 61.kedednoun— tree
- 62.cheinumeral— two
- 63.antunoun— water
- 64.k-egepronoun— we
- 65.pokenyeiadjective— white
- 66.damatutnoun— woman
- 67.k-agupronoun— you (singular)
Acknowledgements
This edition draws on published linguistic description and editorial research. Compiled and edited by the Discussion Dictionary editorial team.
© 2026 Discussion Publishers. Discussion Publishers Dictionary — Yaakunte–English Word List, first digital edition. All rights reserved. This word list may be reproduced for education and language revitalization with attribution to Discussion Publishers Dictionary (https://dictionary.discussionpublishers.com/endangered/yaakunte).