Mkpọaha /Aha (Noun)
Nouns usually refer to people, places or things. Review this page to learn about some ways to use nouns in the Igbo language.
Note: There really isn’t a way to say the word “a” or “the” in Igbo. These words are implied depending on the context of the sentence. So nwoke can mean, “man”, “a man”, or “the man”.
Source: http://www.ezinaulo.com
Plurality
Unlike in English, Igbo nouns are not made plural by adding a “s” at the end. The plural form of an Igbo noun is spelled the same as its singular form.
To make nouns plural in Igbo, you can either use ụmụ or ndị.
For example…
nwanyị– woman
ụmụ nwanyị – women
Ndị Edo – Edo people
Source: http://www.ezinaulo.com
If you are addressing a group of people, you can also use the word nụ!
Ndewo nụ! – Hello you all!
Jisie nụ ike! – Good job you all!
Numbers
Another way to make an Igbo noun single or plural is to use numbers. Usually, the number one is added before the noun and other numbers come after the noun.
one wedding – otu agbamakwụkwọ
two weddings – agbamakwụkwọ abụọ
three weddings – agbamakwụkwọ atọ
For ordinal numbers, you usually place the number after the noun. For “first”, you can use mbụ. For higher numbers, you can use “nke” plus the number.
Source: http://www.ezinaulo.com
Ordinal Numbers
1st (first) wedding – agbamakwụkwọ mbụ
2nd (second) wedding – agbamakwụkwọ nke abụọ
3rd (third) wedding – agbamakwụkwọ nke atọ
Source: http://www.ezinaulo.com
Onye (someone / the one who /person /doer of )
Many titles and professions in Igbo are preceded by the word onye. Review some of the onye nouns that you may encounter in Igbo below.
artist – onye nka
farmer – onye ubi
guest – onye ọbịa
lawyer – onye ikpe
Source: http://www.ezinaulo.com
musician/singer – onye egwu
owner – onye nwe
teacher – onye nkụzị
traveler – onye njem
worker – onye ọrụ
