Body Parts and Clothing in Sesotho
If you’re heading to southern Africa, particularly Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, then here’s a language you might want to take a deeper look at: Sesotho.
Sesotho is a Bantu language that’s similar to languages like Swahili, Setswana, and even Zulu, as they all belong to the same language family.
It’s spoken by the Basotho people, a relatively small ethnic group, so you’re not likely to stumble upon native speakers outside of the aforementioned countries, unless you have a stroke of luck.
And because the number of speakers is small (around 4.5 million), finding language learning resources can be a bit challenging.
Well, that’s where we come in. We’ve put together this list of some pretty important vocabulary – body parts and some items of clothing you’d wear on them.
These are things you’ll wanna know if you’re going among the natives. Natives will appreciate you making the effort to speak to them in their native tongue, however elementary your language skills are.
We’ve split everything up into sections for easy navigation.
The head in Sesotho
| English | Sesotho |
|---|---|
| Head | Hlooho |
| Face | Sefahleho |
| Hair | Moriri |
| Ear | Tsebe |
| Nose | Nko |
| Eyes | Mahlo |
| Forehead | Phatla |
| Mouth | Molomo |
| Chin | Seledu |
| Jaw | Mohlahare |
| Teeth | Meno |
| Lip | Pounama |
| Eyebrow | Ntshi |
| Eyelashes | Dintshi |
| Tongue | Leleme |
| Cheek | Lerama |
Upper body parts in Sesotho
| English | Sesotho |
|---|---|
| Neck | Molala |
| Chest | Sefuba |
| Arm | Sephaka |
| Back | Mokokotlo |
| Hand | Seatla |
| Finger | Monwana |
| Shoulder | Lehetla |
| Stomach | Mpa |
| Throat | Mmetso |
| Fingernail | Lenala |
| Elbow | Setswe |
| Wrist | Lenonyeletso la seatla |
Lower body parts in Sesotho
| English | Sesotho |
|---|---|
| Leg | Tlhafu |
| Knee | Lengole |
| Ankle | Leqaqailana |
| Foot | Leoto |
| Toe | Monwana wa leoto |
| Thigh | Serope |
| Heel | Serethe |
Inner body and organs in Sesotho
| English | Sesotho |
|---|---|
| Skin | Letlalo |
| Kidney | Phiyo |
| Liver | Sebete |
| Heart | Pelo |
| Brain | Boko |
| Lung | Letshwafo |
| Blood | Mali |
| Bone | Lesapo |
| Muscle | Mosifa |
Clothes in Sesotho
| English | Sesotho |
|---|---|
| Hat | Katiba |
| Glove | Diatlana |
| Shirt | Hempe |
| Dress | Mose |
| Skirt | Sekethe |
| Sweater/Jumper | Jesi |
| Trousers/Pants | Borikgwe |
| Underwear | Borikgwe ba ka hare |
| Shorts | Borikgwe bo bokgutshwanyane |
| Shoe | Seeta |
| Boot | Butu |
| Socks | Dikausi |
| Scarf | Sekhafo |
| Tie | Tae |
| Earring | Lesale |
| Jacket/Coat | Baki |
| Ring | Lesale la monwana |
| Necklace | Sefaha |
| Bracelet | Sefaha sa letsoho |
| Glasses | Likhalase tsa mahlo |
| Handbag/purse | Mokotlana wa letsoho |
| Belt | Lebanta |
