Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bwana

/ˈbwɑːnə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.97 in modern English

Syllables
bwana
IPA
/ˈbwɑːnə/
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Big boss, important person.

Slang

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Afroasiatic *ʔab- Proto-Semitic *ʔabw- Arabic أَبُونَا (ʔabūnā)bor. Swahili bwanabor. English bwana Borrowed from Swahili bwana (“master”), from Arabic أَبُونَا (ʔabūnā, “our father”). Doublet of abbot.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: bwana, أب, ء ب و

Usage

Inflected Forms

bwanas (plural)

Rhymes With

montana banana ghana ana dana nana nirvana mana guyana botswana americana tijuana

Questions

How do you pronounce bwana?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbwɑːnə/.
What does bwana mean?
Big boss, important person.
Where does bwana come from?
It is traced to Swahili.

How to pronounce bwana

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bwana”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbwɑːnə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bwana”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “bwana” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.