Most of us call our fathers “daddy” and our mothers “mommy” and prefer to call most of our relatives “uncle this”, “aunt that” and so on. But do we know how to properly say these names in the Twi language? In this article, we shall learn who makes up our family and how to say their names in the Twi language.
Click the speaker buttons to hear how to say each name. Practice how to say them until you get each one right because, knowing and using them when you are in Ghana and especially when speaking with an elderly Asante person will show that you have respect for the Akan culture.
NOTE: If you don’t see the speaker buttons below, then download and install the Flash player from Adobe.
| Okunu | Husband | |
| Ɔyere | Wife | |
| Abofra | Child | |
| Agya | Father | |
| Ɛna | Mother | |
| Nuabarima | Brother | |
| Nuabaa | Sister | |
| Ɔbabarima | Son | |
| Ɔbabaa | Daughter | |
| Nana | Grandfather / Grandmother | |
| Wɔfa | Uncle | |
| Sewaa | Aunt | |
| Onua | Cousin | |
| Wɔfaase | Nephew / Niece | |
| Ɔbanana | Grandchild | |
| Nanankansoa | Great-grandchild | |
| Abanoma | Adopted child |
Hope you enjoyed today’s Twi language article. If you want to learn more Twi join us on Facebook and Twitter.
 |
 |
© Nkyea Learning Systems. All Right Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed
I think that there are appropriate twi spellings for these names eg. Sap)n not sarpong. 3dweso and not Ejisu. Akyeampon and not Acheampong/Akyeampong.
My suggestion is that you try and introduce a row or column where words are first spelt appropriately. Then you can have how the Europeans spelt it as it has come to stay and then etc. If I am learning Asanti twi, dw(o,e,i) not the same as j(o,e,i).
Aside that there are alphabets that are not part of the twi alphabets and this distinction if not drawn will compromise on the true language you seek to teach and it’s quality. Thank you
Thank you for sharing. Not to many people in your position are so gracious. Your article was very poignant and understandable. It helped me to understand very clearly. Thank you for your help.
I am looking for someone to teach me this language because I am from Atlanta,Ga and my husband is from Ghana and I want to learn his language in order to communicate and talk to him. So that’s why I am asking if someone would help me learn it. And because I am disable and not able to buy the software due to not having any money nor being able to work in order to get the information that I need to get it. So if there is anyone out there who is willing to help me i would really appreciate it to the fullness of my heart. Thank you very much.