Here is how to count in Wolof, from 1 to 100, with 22 numbers checked against reference sources (Senegalese Wolof, official spelling). Learn the first ten first: almost all the others are built from them.
Good to know. From 6 to 9, Wolof counts “five plus one”, “five plus two”…: the sources give this breakdown, shown in brackets.
1
From 0 to 10
bennone
ñaartwo
ñettalso: ñattthree
ñeentfour
juróomfive
juróom bennsix (5+1)
juróom ñaarseven (5+2)
juróom ñettalso: juróom ñatteight (5+3)
juróom ñeentnine (5+4)
fukkten
2
From 11 to 19
fukk ak benneleven
fukk ak ñaartwelve
fukk ak ñeentfourteen
fukk ak juróomfifteen
fukk ak juróom bennsixteen
fukk ak juróom ñaarseventeen
fukk ak juróom ñeentnineteen
3
Tens, hundreds, thousands
ñaar fukktwenty
fanweerthirty
ñeent fukkforty
juróom fukkfifty
téeméerhundred
Test yourself
1. What does “ñaar” mean?
2. What does “juróom ñaar” mean?
3. What does “fukk ak ñaar” mean?
4. What does “fukk ak juróom ñeent” mean?
Where do these words come from?
The words in this article come from: Peace Corps Senegal Wolof manual (2012). They are copied with their exact spelling; when two sources disagree, the variant is shown. Do you speak this language and spot a mistake? Write to us.
The words in this article come from: Peace Corps Senegal Wolof manual (2012). They are copied with their exact spelling; when two sources disagree, the variant is shown. Do you speak this language and spot a mistake? Write to us.