Northern Sotho

Northern Sotho is one of South Africa's twelve official languages and belongs to the Bantu language family specifically the Sotho-Tswana group. The language is spoken mainly in Limpopo Province, and to a lesser extent in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and North West.

Northern Sotho is the umbrella term for a group of certain dialects.

As of the 2022 South African Census, approximately 6.2 million people, or 10.0% of the national population, speak Northern Sotho as their first language. Northern Sotho ranks as the fifth most spoken first language.

Official language status

Sepedi vs Northern Sotho According to Chapter 1, Section 6 of the South African Constitution, Sepedi is one of South Africas 12 official languages. There has been significant debate about whether Northern Sotho should be used instead of Pedi. The English version of the South African Constitution lists Sepedi as an official language, while the Sepedi or Northern Sotho version of the Constitution of South Africa lists Sesotho sa Leboa as an official South African language. On 5 November 2025, PANSALB, the South African language Board adopted Sesotho sa Leboa as official Language replacing the narrow dialect of Sepedi. Sesotho sa Leboa covers 27 dialects of Northern Sotho such as: Selobedu, Setlokwa, Sepulana, Sehananwa, SeMatlala, SeMoletji, Sebirwa and Seroka.https://www.pansalb.org/pansalb-clarifies-naming-convention-for-sesotho-sa-leboa-to-promote-linguistic-unity-and-inclusivity/

South Africa's official language policy South Africa's official language policy refers to the twelve official languages of South Africa (i.e., Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, English, and South African Sign Language (SASL)), as specified in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

Name

The written standard of Northern Sotho (Sesotho sa Leboa) was imposed by the apartheid regime, Sepedi is a language which was extensively documented by missionaries of the Berlin Missionary Society during the nineteenth century. Scholars generally acknowledge the contributions of missionaries such as Alexander Merensky, Carl Knothe, Grützner, and Gerlachshoop in developing an orthography and written tradition for the language. The resulting standardized writing system was later applied to numerous related Sotho-Tswana varieties spoken across the former Transvaal region. This has led to ongoing debate regarding the use of "Sepedi" as a label for the entire language, with speakers of other varieties, including Khelobedu (Lobedu), arguing that the broader designation "Northern Sotho" or "Sesotho sa Leboa" more accurately reflects the linguistic diversity of the language community. Recent studies have highlighted the sociolinguistic and identity-related implications of this naming controversy in post-apartheid South Africa.

Other varieties of Northern Sotho Northern Sotho can be subdivided into Highveld-Sotho and Pedi people, which consists of comparatively recent immigrants mostly from the west and southwest parts of South Africa, and Lowveld-Sotho, which consists of a combination of immigrants from the north of South Africa and Sotho inhabitants of longer standing. Like other Sotho-Tswana people, their languages are named after totemic animals and, sometimes, by alternating or combining these with the names of famous chiefs.

The Highveld-Sotho/Pedi

The group consists of the following dialects: Bapedi Marota (in the narrower sense) Batau (Matlebjane, Masemola, Marishane, Manganeng - Nkadimeng, Kgaphola, Diphofa, Nchabeleng, Mogashoa, Phaahla, Sloane, Mashegoana, Mphanama, Malata a Manyane) Bakone Baphuthi Baroka Bakgaga (Mphahlele, Maake, Mothapo) Thobejane (Ga-Mafefe) Batswapong Batlokwa (Ba-bopedi) Bapulana (not mapulana) Batlou Chuene Mathabatha Maserumule Tlou (Ga-Molepo) Batlokwa Batlokwa Ba Lethebe Makgoba Bahananwa (Ga-Mmalebogo) Moremi Motlhatlhana Babirwa Mmamabolo Bakwena ba Moletjie (Moloto) Batlhaloga Bahwaduba, BaGaMagale, and many others

The Lowveld-Sotho The group consists of Lobedu, Narene, Phalaborwa (Malatji), Mogoboya, Kone, Kgaga, Ramafalo and Mohale.

Classification Northern Sotho is one of the Sotho languages of the Bantu family. Although Northern Sotho shares the name Sotho with Southern Sotho, the two groups also have a great deal in common with their sister language Setswana. Northern Sotho is also closely related to Setswana, sheKgalagari and siLozi. It is a standardized variety, amalgamating several distinct varieties or dialects. Northern Sotho is also spoken by the Mohlala people and Malata People.

Khelobedu is a written language. Lobedu is spoken by people in the Greater Tzaneen, Greater Letaba municipalities, and a minority in Greater Giyani municipality, as well as in the Limpopo Province and Tembisa township in Gauteng. Its speakers are known as the Balobedu.

Writing system Northern sotho is written in the Latin alphabet. The letter š is used to represent the sound [] ("sh" is used in the trigraph "tsh" to represent an aspirated ts sound). The circumflex accent can be added to the letters e and o to distinguish their different sounds, but it is mostly used in language reference books. Some word prefixes, especially in verbs, are written separately from the stem.

Phonology Vowels +Northern Sotho vowels Front Back Close Close-mid Open-mid Open

Consonants

+Northern Sotho consonants Bilabial Labio- dental Alveolar Post- alveolar Lateral Palatal Velar Glottalplainalveolarpost-alveolarpalatalplainpost-alveolarplainlabialplainlabialplainlabialplainlabialplainlabialplainlabialNasalPlosiveejective aspirated voicedAffricate ejectiveaspirated Fricativevoiceless~voicedRhotic Approximant

Other consonant sounds include fricative-combinations and .

Within nasal consonant compounds, the first nasal consonant sound is recognized as syllabic. Words such as nthuše "help me", are pronounced as . /n/ can also be pronounced as following a velar consonant.

Urban varieties of Northern Sotho, such as Pretoria Sotho (actually a derivative of Tswana, and Pedi), have acquired clicks in an ongoing process of such sounds spreading from Nguni languages.

Tones

Like most other Niger–Congo languages, Sesotho is a tonal language, spoken with two basic tones, high (H) and low (L).

Vocabulary Some examples of Northern Sotho words and phrases:

English Northern Sotho Welcome Kamogelo (noun) / Amogela (verb) Good dayDumela (singular) / Dumelang (plural) / Thobela and Re a lotšha (to elders) How are you? O kae? (singular) Le kae? (plural, also used for elders) I am fine Ke gona. Ke tsogile(singular). Re tsogile(plural). I am fine too, thank you Le nna ke gona, ke a leboga. Thank you Ke a leboga (I thank you) / Re a leboga (we thank you) Good luck Mahlatse Have a safe journey O be le leeto le le bolokegilego Good bye! Šala gabotse (singular)/ Šalang gabotse (plural, also used for elders)(keep well) / Sepela gabotse(singular)/Sepelang gabotse (plural, also used for elders)(go well) I am looking for a job Ke nyaka mošomô No smoking Ga go kgogwe (/folwe) No entrance Ga go tsenwe Beware of the steps! Hlokomela disetepese!/ditepisi Beware! Hlokomela! Congratulations on your birthday Mahlatse letšatšing la gago la matswalo Seasons greetings Ditumedišo tša Sehla sa Maikhutšo Merry Christmas Mahlogonolo a Keresemose Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Mahlogonolo a Keresemose le ngwaga wo moswa wo monate Expression Gontsha sa mafahleng yes ee/eya/eye no aowa please hle thank you ke a leboga help thušang/thušo danger/accident kotsi emergency tšhoganetšo excuse me ntshwarele I am sorry Ke maswabi I love you Ke a go rata Questions / sentences Dipotšišo / mafoko Do you accept (money/credit cards/traveler's cheques)? O amogela (singular) / Le amogela ( tshelete/.../...)? How much is this? Ke bokae e? I want ... Ke nyaka... What are you doing? O dira eng? What is the time? Ke nako mang? Where are you going? O ya kae?Numbers Dinomoro 1 tee 2 pedi 3 tharo 4 nne 5 hlano 6 tshela 7 šupa 8 seswai 9 senyane 10 lesome 11 lesometee 12 lesomepedi 13 lesometharo 14 lesomenne15 lesomehlano20 masomepedi21 masomepedi-tee22 masomepedi-pedi50 masomehlano100 lekgolo1000 sekete Days of the week Matšatši a beke Sunday Lamorena Monday Mošupologo Tuesday Labobedi Wednesday Laboraro Thursday Labone Friday LabohlanoSaturday Mokibelo Months of the year Dikgwedi tša ngwaga January Pherekgong February Dibokwane March Hlakola April Moranang May Mopitlo June Ngwatobošego / Phupu July Mosegamanye August Phato September Lewedi October Diphalane November Dibatsela December Manthole Computers and Internet terms Didirishwa tsa khomphutha le Inthanete computer sebaledi / khomphutara e-mail imeile e-mail address aterese ya imeile Internet Inthanete Internet café khefi ya Inthanete Website weposaete Website address aterese ya weposaete Rain Pula To understandGo kwešiša Reed pipesDinaka Drums Meropa Horn Lenaka Colours MebalaRed/orange Hubedu/KhubeduBrown SothoGreen TalamorogoBlue TalalerataBlack NtshoWhite šweuYellow SerolwanaGold GautaGreyPududuPale Sehla or Tshehla Silver Silifere

Sample text Universal Declaration of Human RightsTemana 1 Batho ka moka ba belegwe ba lokologile le gona ba na le seriti sa go lekana le ditokelo. Ba filwe monagano le letswalo mme ba swanetše go swarana ka moya wa bana ba mpa.

Temana 2 Mang le mang o swanetše ke ditokelo le ditokologo ka moka tše go boletšwego ka tšona ka mo Boikanong bjo, ntle le kgethollo ya mohuta wo mongwe le wo mongwe bjalo ka morafe, mmala, bong, polelo, bodumedi, dipolitiki goba ka kgopolo, botšo go ya ka setšhaba goba maemo, diphahlo, matswalo goba maemo a mangwe le a mangwe.

Go feta fao, ga go kgethollo yeo e swanetšego go dirwa go ya ka maemo a dipolitiki, tokelo ya boahlodi, goba maemo a ditšhabatšhaba goba lefelo leo motho a dulago go lona, goba ke naga ye e ipušago, trasete, naga ya go se ipuše goba se sengwe le se sengwe seo se ka fokotšago maemo a go ikemela ga naga ya gabo.

Northern Sotho

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