The Home in Yoruba: Rooms and Furniture

Household words are used every day.

The house

Yoruba	Meaning
ilé	house, home
yàrá	room
ibi ìdáná	kitchen
yàrá ìwẹ̀	bathroom
ilẹ̀kùn	door
fèrèsé	window
àgbàlá	compound, yard

Furniture and objects

Yoruba	Meaning
tábìlì	table
àga	chair
ibùsùn	bed
fìtílà	lamp
kọ́kọ́rọ́	key
ìwé	book

Where things are

• Ìwé náà wà lórí tábìlì. The book is on the table.
• Kọ́kọ́rọ́ wà nínú àpò. The key is in the bag.
• Àga wà nítòsí fèrèsé. The chair is near the window.

Words for position

• lórí (on, above)
• nísàlẹ̀ (below)
• nínú (inside)
• lóde (outside)
• nítòsí (near)

Describing your home

• Ilé wa tóbi. Our house is big.
• Yàrá mẹ́ta wà nínú ilé wa. There are three rooms in our house.

The compound

Traditional Yoruba homes are often family compounds, called àgbo ilé, where extended family live around a shared courtyard.

Chores

• fọ ilé (to clean the house)
• dáná (to cook)
• fọ aṣọ (to wash clothes)

Tips

1. Label items at home.
2. Practise position words.
3. Use the dictionary to check new words.

Look up any Yoruba word with English Yoruba Dictionary →