By the way: I have another blog – Karin Magana – which is all about Hausa proverbs. Have a look and find more than 1500 proverbs there – I keep adding to it.

In Hausa language, proverbs are called “Karin Magana”. The following 15 Hausa proverbs are some of the most popular that you can learn in your quest to learn how to speak Hausa language.

1.) Mai ci da uwa ba shi kukan suɗi.

Literal meaning: He who eats with his mother will not have to cry for the scrapings (for she will give it to him as a matter of course).

Explanation: The usual way of eating is for everyone to dip his or her hand in turn into a pot or plate until the food is finished: the scrapings are what is referred to as suɗi.

2.) Ruwa ba su tsami banza.

Literal meaning; Water does not get sour without a cause

Explanation: There is a reason for everything that happens

3.) Ba don “rigan domin” ba, da mutum ya mutu matsyaci.

Literal meaning: If it were not because of someone else’s influence, a man would die poor.

Explanation: No man is an island on his own. We all need the help of someone to climb to the heights we aspire for.

4.) Makaho ya rasa ido, ya ce ido na wari.

Literal meaning: The blind man who lacks eyes says that eyes stink.

Explanation: Don’t condemn the usefulness of something simply because you don’t have it.

5.) Idan ruwa ya zubar, ya bar tulu, ya yi kyau.

Literal meaning: Even if the water is spilled, if the jar is not broken, there is no harm.

Explanation: Don’t cry over spilled milk. Do not fret over situations that are beyond your control.

6.) Ba domin tsawo a kan ga wata ba

Literal meaning: You don’t see the moon because of your height.

Explanation: It is not by your power that you have done a certain thing. Anyone can do it.

7.) Fawa biyu tana ɓata hankalin ƙuda.

Literal meaning: two pieces of meat confuse the mind of the fly

Explanation: The hesitation between two choices confuses a person.

8.) Mai akuya ya yi tafiya dare, balle mai kura.

Literal meaning: If the owner of a goat is not afraid to travel by night, then why should the owner of a hyena be?

Explanation: Seeing that night is the usual time for a hyena to move about, the owner of a hyena should not be afraid.

9.) Mu dai ɓeran rami ɗaya, in ba a gama a shiga ba, a gama a fita.

Literal meaning: We are mice of one hole, if we don’t meet going in, we meet going out.

Explanation: If you refuse to give a man something that he asks for, your own time of need is coming. Be good to people, so that in turn, people will be good to you.

10.) Idan angulu ta biya maka maradi, zabuwa ta tafi da zanenta.

Literal meaning: if the vulture fulfils your desire, the guinea fowl will pass you by.

Explanation: In other words, if you are satisfied with mediocrity, success will have nothing to do with you.

11.) Kunkuru yana son dambe, ba shi da yatsa.

Literal meaning: The tortoise wishes to fight with his fist, but he has no fingers

Explanation: It means a wrath or anger that is powerless. One is faced with a challenge and they can do nothing about it.

12.) Kome yake cikin ɗan tsako, shaho ya daɗe da saninsa.

Literal meaning: Whatever there is inside a chicken, the hawk has been familiar with it for a very long time.

Explanation: There is nothing much you can teach a person who is very knowledgeable about a certain topic.

13.) Gishiri na yi wa man kaɗe dariyar rana, ran da ruwa ya zo gishiri ya ji kunya.

Literal meaning: Salt laughs at shea butter while the sun shines, but when the rain comes, it is  ashamed.

Explanation: Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses. In one field, a person can excel and in another, that same person can be a flop. E.g. – You can be a whiz in Math, but when it comes to Economics, you’re as clueless as ever.

14.) Idan dai a ci ne ba a sayar ba, kaza ta fi doki.

Literal meaning: If it is a matter of eating and not of selling, then the hen is better than a horse

Explanation: There is use for everything, even the things that seem so little (such as a chicken).

15.) Wani tsuntsu ya ke gudu ruwa, agwagwa ruwa ta ke nema

Literal meaning: Some birds avoid water. The duck searches for it

Explanation: Everyone has his or her own taste. Different strokes for different folks. E.g. – Some love a cold-water bath. Others would rather have warm water.

Here are some further recommendations from Richard Juwah:

•  Read Hausa novels online
•  Download latest Hausa Music from top Hausa musicians

At the same time, the amount of online material that could be used for language learning keeps growing and also there are now more and better eLearning websites and smartphone apps than when I started Hausa Online. I don’t have enough time to keep track of all the new developments.

As the year 2017 comes to an end, I thought I should at least sent a short greeting to the followers of this blog, which has been visited more than two million times. I wish you all a happy and peaceful new year 2018, wherever you are and whatever you do.

And if you wonder who runs this blog (and also my other Hausa blog “Karin Magana“): I am German guy who studied Hausa in a German University and who spent some time in Nigeria. (More about me)

News

• AREWA 24
• BBC Hausa
• VOA Hausa

Movies

• AREWA TV
• Hausa Film Cinema
• Hausa Movies TV
• Kannywood Classics
• Kannywood TV

Which other channels do you know?

• Hausa-English
• English-Hausa
• Hausa-French
• French-Hausa

The communiqué has also been translated into Hausa:

Bayani ga ’Yan Jaridu

Haɗakar rassan bincike ta ‘Mega-Tchad’ [www.megatchad.net] wata babbar mahaɗa ce ta manyan malamai daga ƙasashen duniya dabam-dabam da masana da masu bincike akan ɓangarorin rayuwar al’ummar da ke zaune a zagayen tafkin Chadi. An kafa wannan haɗaka shekaru 30 da suka gabata, kuma a halin yanzu tana da membobi kimanin 500.

Shugabannin wannan haɗakar suna Allah wadai da irin ayyukan ta’addancin da ’yan ƙungiyar Boko Haram ke gudanarwa tun ba a yankin Borno ba, wanda ya yi sanadiyyar tarwatsa matsugunai da hallakar mutane da dama tare da hasarar dukiyoyi, da kuma danne hakkin jama’ar yankin. Manufar waɗannan miyagun mutane, ’yan Boko Haram, shi ne amfani da addini domin cimma manufofin siyasa ta hanyar rusa tsarin doka da oda domin samun damar ci gaba da gudanar da munanan ayyukansu na ta’addanci a yankin arewa maso gabashin Najeriya.

Ayyukan ta’addanci da wannan ƙungiya ta Boko Haram ke aiwatarwa na bazuwa zuwa maƙwabtan ƙasashe kamar su Kamaru, Chadi da kuma Jamhuriyar Nijar. Ganin kuma damina na ƙaratowa, ana fargabar cewa wannan hargitsi na Boko Haram zai hana gudanar da ayyukan noma kamar yadda aka saba. Hakan kan iya jefa ɗaukacin yankin cikin matsananciyar yunwa. A yanzu haka dubban yara a yankin na zaune a gida babu zuwa makaranta, jami’o’in da ke cikin yankin ba sa iya gudanar da ayyukansu a cikin kwanciyar hankali, kazalika ayyukan masu nazarce-nazarce daga sassan duniya akan ci-gaban yankin sun tsaya. Haka kuma mata ba su da ikon fita waje saboda tsoron faɗa wa hannun ’yan ta’adda. Ɗaruruwan iyaye na cike da baƙin ciki da alhinin halin da ’ya’yansu mata ke ciki waɗanda ’yan ta’adda suka sace.

Akan haka, kwamitin ƙoli na Mega-Tchad na kira da babbar murya ga hukumomin addinin musulunci da su la’anci wannan mummunar aƙida wacce ta saɓa wa koyarwar addinin, la’anta mai tsanani. Haka kuma, kwamitin na roƙon mahukunta da su tashi tsaye wurin yaƙi da wannan ɗabi’ar ta’addanci, wadda ke faruwa a tsakanin iyakokin ƙasashen da ke cikin yankin tafkin Chadi, domin dawo da zaman lafiya da kwanciyar hankali a ɗaukacinyankin.

[The Hausa translation was prepared under the direction of Professor Paul Newman and Dr. Roxana Newman]

I would like to ask the readers of this blog to refrain from posting theological and political statements on this blog, as well as business offers and whatever else may not really be related to language learning. Thank you!

I did a small test today. Translating simple greetings seemed to work: I tried “Ina kwana?” and the correct translation was given “Good morning”. But then the next sentence “Ina gajiya?” was translated as “Tired I?” and “Ina labari?” as “Article I?”

Try it out for yourself here: http://translate.google.com/#ha/en/ and share your experiences with translating Hausa using Google Translate.

Related articles

• Google Translate – now in 80 languages (googletranslate.blogspot.com)