Bambara/Dioula Dictionary
J - j
jǎ vt. dry; sécher.
vi. dry, dry up; sécher.
jǎ n. 1 • dryness.
2 • draught; sécheresse.
jǎ2 vt. accueillir; héberger; reçevoir un étranger. N tɛri ̀ jàlà n kàn J'ai reçu un ami chez moi. N ye lonan ̀ jà I hosted an outsider. J'ai accueilli un étranger.
jǎ2 n. 1 • spirit, soul; esprit, âme.
2 • shadow; ombre.
3 • image, photo, photograph; drawing; image, photographie, photo, dessein.
k'i jǎ tìgɛ frighten, scare.
jà(la) ...kà gɛ̀lɛn
jaabi vt. respond; répondre. Variant: la(a)bi.
jaabi n. response; réponse.
jaati interj. exactement, tout à fait.
jàba n. onion; ognion. N jàba! I don't care!
jàbi n. Henna tree, henna; henné, arbre d'henné.
jàbibi n. pineapple; ananas.
jàgo n. trade, trading, commerce; commerce, affaires, traite. kà jàgo ̀ kɛ engage in trade or commerce. Sim: jùla.
jàgòkɛ̀la trader; commerçant.
jakabɔ vt. ridicule; se moquer de.
jàkuma n. cat; chat.
jala n. Senegalese mahogany; caïlcédrat, acajou. Used for a variety of purposes including medical ones involving its bitter-tasting bark. Khaya senegalensis.
jàla See: jǎ ‘spirit’.
jàlàgɛlɛn adj.
jàlàki vi. do wrong, err; se tromper.
vt. denounce, accuse; accuser, dénoncer.
jàlàki n. wrong, wrongdoing, fault; tort, faute, responsabilité.
jama2 vi. tempêter.
jàma n. crowd, audience; foule, du monde, audiénce.
jàmàna n. country, state; pays, état.
jàmu n. last name, family name; nom de famille.
jàmu vt. chanter les louanges.
jan vt/vr. turn face up, lay face up; tourner vers le haut.
jǎn vq/adj. 1 • tall, long; grand, long. Cɛ̀ jan ̀ bɛ yàn. There's a tall man here.
2 • far; loin, éloigné. Adj: jànmànjan; V: jànya; N: jànya.
jànfa1 vi. 1 • go far (in space or time), distance; s'éloigner.
2 • be late; être tard. Usage: This verb is not used in the English sense of "I am late (to a meeting)." But it can express the idea of the "It's late" (as in, "It is late at night.") Tìle ̀ jànfàrà. It's getting late (lit. "The day has gone long"). Il se fait tard.
jànfa vt. betray, cross, back-stab; trahir.
jànfa n. betrayal, treason, conspiracy; trahison.
jàngo afin que. An ye baara caman ̀ kɛ jàngò an ka wari caman sɔ̀rɔ̀. Nous avons travaillé beaucoup afin que nous ayons beaucoup d'argent. Variant: jànko.
jànko conj. 1 • a fortiori, with greater reason, especially; à fortiori.
2 • so that, in order to; pour que. Variant: sànko.
jànmànjan adj. 1 • tall, long; grand, long.
2 • far; loin. VQ: jǎn ‘tall, long, far’. Variant: jàmànjan. See: jǎn ‘tall, long, far’.
jànto vr. be vigilant, be wary, be careful; se méfier.
jànto [f] la be careful of [sth], be mindful of [sth], mind [sth]. I jàntò wùlu` la. À ka jugu! Be careful of the dog. It's mean! Méfiez-vous du chien. Il est méchant.
jàra n. lion; lion. Syn: waraba.
jàràbi vi. fall in love, become infatuated, be passionate; tomber amoureux.
jàràbi [m.] la fall in love with X, become infatuated with X, be passionate about X. kà jàràbi mɔ̀gɔ` la to fall in love with someone.
jàràbi n. 1 • passion, infatuation; passion.
2 • sweetheart, darling; chéri(e).
jàràki vt. accuse; accuser.
jasa n. 1 • enclosement.
2 • livestock corral.
Usage: Ivoirian Jula 3 • bathroom; salle de bain.
jàte vt. 1 • count; compter. kà jàtìli ̀ kɛ count, calculate.
2 • consider; considérer. À tɛ n jàte mɔ̀gɔ ̀ye. He doesn't consider me a person. Òlu t'an jàtè. They don't take us into consideration. Variant: jàti.
jàtèden n. number; nombre, chiffre.
jàtèminɛ n. calculation; calculation. kà jàtèminɛ ̀ kɛ calculate, do a calculation. Variant: jàtèmina.
jàtigi n. host; hôte.
jě1 See: dě ‘hush up’.
jě2 squash; courge.
jele n. axe; hache.
jèli n. Manding bard, "griot"; Manding bard or "griot"; griot.
jèni vt. burn; grill, brûler, griller.
jèse See: gèse ‘thread, string, yarn’.
jɛ vq/adj. 1 • white; blanc. Cɛ̀ jɛ ̀ taara so ̀. The white man went home.
2 • clean; propre.
3 • faultless, clear, pure, innocent; pure, clair, innocent. À ka jɛ. It's white/clean/faultless. Adj: jɛman; V/N: jɛya. Variant: gwɛ ‘Jula’.
jɛ Variant: gwɛ. vi. 1 • whiten, be white; blanchir. À jɛra. It whitened/became white/is white. Dùgu ̀ jɛra. Morning has broken.
2 • become clean, be clean; devenir propre, n.
3 • be sure, be certain. Cɛ̌ ̀ ka ko ̀ jɛra. This guy's story checks out.
...la/mǎ be sure of; être certain. N ma jɛ à la. I'm not sure about it.
vt.
4 • whiten, bleach; blanchir.
5 • clean; nettoyer. Ù y'à jɛ. They whitened/cleaned it.
6 • clarify, make flawless; éclaircir. Sim: jɛya.
jɛ Variant: gwɛ. adv. faultlessly, clearly, correctly; sans faute, correctement. À y'à fɔ jɛ! He told it like it is!
jɛ n. 1 • white, the white; blanc.
2 • truth, clarity; vérité, clareté.
3 • cataract. Variant: gwɛ ‘Jula’.
jɛ̌1 1 • vi. lack, miss, be absent; manquer.
2 • vt. deny, deprive, refuse; refuser, priver.
...la Variant: jɛ̌n ‘Jula’. I ye n jɛ̀ dumuni ̀ na. You denied me food. Mɔ̀gɔ́ fìla jɛ̀ra. Two people are missing.
jɛ̌2 See: jɛ̌n ‘unite’.
jɛgɛ n. fish; poisson.
jɛman adj/n. 1 • white; blanc.
2 • clean; propre.
3 • faultless; sans faute. Variant: gwɛman. See: jɛ.
jɛ̌n 1 • vi. come together, unite; s'unir.
2 • vi. have sex, sleep with; coucher ensemble.
3 • vt. unite; unir, regrouper. Variant: jɛ̌.
jɛ̌n n. 1 • union; union.
2 • sex, sexual relationship; rapport sexuel.
jɛ̌n3 Usage: Jula See: jɛ̌1 ‘lack ; miss ; deprive’.
jɛnbe n. type of drum, "djembe"; "Djembe" drum; a traditional style of Manding drum; batterie traditonnelle mandingue.
jɛ̀ngɛ vt. tilt, lean; pencher.
vi. bend; courber.
jɛ̀nkulu n. group; groupe.
jɛnsɛn vt. disperse, spread, spread out, diffuse, disseminate, broadcast, announce; disperser, diffuser, disséminer, annoncer. Syn: yɛrɛkɛ.
jɛya 1 • vt. whiten, bleach; blanchir.
2 • vt. clean; nettoyer.
3 • vt. clarify, clear of faults or wrongdoing; éclaircir.
4 • vi. become white; devenir blanc.
5 • vi. become clean; devenir propre.
6 • vi. be sure.
...la/mǎ be sure of; être sure de. Ne ̀ ma jɛya kuma ìn mà. I'm not so sure of what you said.
jɛya n. 1 • whiteness; blancheur.
2 • cleanliness; propreté.
3 • clarity, innoncence, purity; clareté, innocence, pûreté. Variant: gwɛya ‘Jula’. See: jɛ.
ji n. water; eau. kà se ji ̀ la to be able to swim.
kà se ji ̀ la be able to swim.
-ji liquid, juice.
k'à sàma draw water; puiser de l'eau. kà ji ̀sàma
jìgi1 n. hope; espoir.
jìgi tìgɛ lose hope.
jìgi da [f/m] kǎn have hope in [sth/sb].
jìgi2 See: jìgin ‘descend’.
jìgin Variant: jìgi. vi. 1 • lower, go down, descend, get down, get off; descendre, baisser. Tùbàbùkɛ ̀ ko à bɛ jìgin yàn! The white guy says that he's getting off here! (in a bush-taxi for instance). Le blanc dit qu'il descend ici! (en taxi-brousse par exemple).
2 • bear, give birth to, give birth; accoucher. I mùso jìgìnna don jùmɛn? I mùso ̀ jìgìnna don jùmɛn? What day did your wife give birth?
vt. bring down, decrease, bring down, decrease; descendre, baisser.
jìgìya n. hope; espoir.
jijǎ 1 • vt. pull taught; tendre.
2 • vr. make an effort, try hard; faire un effort.
jiminnɔgɔ n. thirst; soif. Syn: mìnnɔgɔ.
jinɛ n. "genie", ghost, spirit, demon; génie, spectre.
jìra vt. show; montrer. Variant: yìra ‘Jula’.
...la show to.
jiran vt. roast, fry; frire, rôtir. Variant: yiran ‘Jula’.
jiri n. tree; arbre. Variant: yiri ‘Jula’.
jiriden n. fruit; fruit. Variant: yiriden ‘Jula’.
jitɔ n. scaredy cat, coward; lache. Syn: sìrànbagatɔ.
jo n. right; raison. I jo dòn. / I jo ̀ b'à la. You're right.
jǒ n. fetish; fétiche. Syn: basi, boli.
jogo n. character, personality, temperment; caractère.
joli n. wound, cut; plaie.
jòli int. how much; combien.
jòli jòli how much a piece.
jòli2 n. blood; sang. Syn: basi.
jòlìmàndi adj.
jòlìmàngo adj.
jòlìnan int. which number; lequel des choses numerotées.
joona adv. 1 • quickly, fast, speedily, quickly, fast, speedily; vite, sous peu, rapidement. À kɛ joona! Do it quickly! Fais le rapidement!
2 • early; tôt. N wulila joona. I got up early. Je me suis levé tôt.
jɔ̌1 v. 1 • stop; arrêter.
2 • stand, stand up; mettre debout, se tenir debout.
3 • erect, build (for buildings and houses typically); bâtir (pour des bâtiments et maisons seulement). Ni tìlèma sera an bɛnà so kura ̀ jɔ̀. When it's the hot season, we're going to build a new house.
4 • do one's activities or participate as appopriate (buying or selling) in the market. Fèerèkɛ̀law bɛ taa sugu ̀ jɔ̀. The sellers are going to go set up shop for the day. Variant: lɔ̌ ‘Jula’.
jɔ̌2 n. 1 • net; filet.
2 • hammock; hamac.
jɔn int. who, whom; qui.
jɔ̌n1 n. slave, captive, slace, captive; esclave, captif.
jɔ̌n2 vi. mépriser. À jɔ̀nnà i la Il t'a méprisé.
jɔnjɔn adj. genuine, authentic. kɔrɔ jɔnjɔn ̀ true/literal meaning. vrai sens. Syn: yɛrɛyɛrɛ.
jɔ̀nmàya n. offense, disrespect, disdain; offence, dédain.
jɔ̀si vt. wipe, wipe down, mop, wipe, wipe down, mop; essuyer; frotter.
jǔ n. 1 • ass, butt; cul, fesses.
2 • base, bottom, source; base, en-dessous, source; fond.
jù(la) kà jugu
jufa1 n. pocket; poche.
jufa2 n. animal cadaver; cadavre d'animal.
jugu vq/adj. 1 • mean, cruel; méchant, cruel.
2 • grave, bad.
...ye worse; mauvais, grave. À ka jugu n'à yé. It's worse than it. Adj: juguman; V/N: juguya.
juguman adj/n. 1 • cruel, ugly, mean; méchant, laid, cruel.
2 • grave, bad; grave, mauvais.
juguya 1 • vt/vi. worsen; s'empirer.
2 • vt/vi. make/become cruel.
3 • vt. wrong, mistreat; maltraiter.
juguya n. 1 • cruelty; cruauté.
2 • gravity, seriousness (as in the seriousness of sickness for instance).
jùkɛ vt. sleep with, have sex with, screw; baiser, coucher avec. Usage: vulgar
jùkɛ̀li n. sexual intercourse; relation sexuelle.
jǔkɔrɔ ppc. underneath; en-dessous, sous.
jùkunan n. butt, buttocks; cul, fesses.
jùla1 n. 1 • trader; commerçant.
2 • Jula ethnocultural group; Jula.
jùla2 See: jǔ ‘butt’.
jǔla ppc.
jùlàjugu adj.
jùlàkan n. Jula language; langue Jula.
juma n. Friday; vendredi.
jùman See: jùmɛn ‘which’.
jùmɛn int. which; lequel. Variant: jùman.
jùru n. 1 • string, cord; fil, corde.
2 • loan, debt; crédit, dette. kà jùru dòn…lá lend/extend credit to...
jùsu Usage: Jula See: dùsu ‘heart ; mood’.
jùsùkun Usage: Jula See: dùsùkun ‘heart’.