The Kuna Phrasebook Project
The Kuna Phrasebook Project
Duleigaiyabipi Kuna
About the Project
Before visiting the Comarca Kuna Yala, also known as the San Blas Islands, of northeastern Panama, my friend Colin and I were unable to locate a Kuna dictionary or phrasebook. As of this writing, I still can’t find one readily available online; please let me know if you do.
Thus, as part of the two weeks we spent in our thatched palm hut on the idyllic island of Achudup (Dog Island), Colin and I compiled this hopefully handy little dictionary for you to download. With some 70,000 native speakers of Kuna – which many older and female residents of the Kuna Yala speak exclusively – visitors will have plenty of opportunities to practice in between snorkeling the fantastic coral reefs and lolling around beneath the palm trees on those perfect white beaches.
Please keep in mind that I am not a professional linguist, and you may also notice that even my Spanish isn’t perfect. Feel free to email corrections and additions to this little lexicon to paige@paigerpenland.com.
About the Language
Duleigaiya, the Kuna language, is not traditionally written, but is spoken by between 30,000 and 70,000 people as their primary language. Like other native regional languages, much meaning relies on groups of suffixes, and some prefixes, tacked on to the word. While Spanish grammar uses the sex of objects and to determine the structure of their modifiers, Kuna grammar changes according to direction, location, and/or the time and duration of the subject. Position is evidently more important grammatically than verb tenses.
Vowels
This is just one of many ways that the Kuna language has beeisn transcribed. There are six vowels, any of which can be doubled, usually for some type of emphasis. Each vowel is pronounced separately, with stress usually on the second-to-last syllable.
A, as in “cat,” “pan” or “madu” (bread)
Ai, pronounce like the long i in “kite,” the ay in “hay” or “anai” (friend)
Ei, as in “freight” or “eiyei” (yes)
I, as in “mini,” “listo” or “-bipi (small)
O, as in “toe,” “dedo” or “gono” (finger or toe)
U, as in “blue,” “azul” or “dup” (island)
Consonants
Kuna consonants are slightly different from their closest Spanish or English equivalents. Important sounds are located at the intersections of our b and p (bipi vs. pipi, “small”), t and d (dulei vs. tulei, “the people”), k and g (kalu vs. galu “holy place”), and v and w (weimar vs. veimar, “we”). Consonants can also be doubled, with each pronounced separately, as in sappi, or tree. A double r is rolled in a fashion similar to Spanish.
Key Words and Phrases
| Nuwedi | buenos dias, gracias, bueno | thank you, good morning, catch-all phrase meaning “good |
| Nuweigambi | mucho gusto | nice to meet you |
| Beikeni ginika? | ¿Como se llama? | What’s your name? |
| Anugaden Paige | Me llamo Paige. | My name is Paige. |
| Bei igi birga nika? | ¿Cuantos años tiene usted? | How old are you? |
| Beiya benega? | ¿De donde eres? | Where are you from? |
| Bia natei? | Dondé esta? | Where is it? |
| Paneimalo | hasta la mañana | see you, good night |
| Takeimalo | adios | goodbye! |
| Eiyei | si | yes |
| Satei | no (hay) | no (none) |
| Suli | no | no |
| Eduei | cerrado | closed |
| Eiki | abierto | open |
| Anai | amigo | friend |
| Kuna | persona/pueblo | person/people |
| Mergi | turista/gringo | tourist, from “American” |
| Macharit | hombre | man |
| Mimmi | niño, hijo | child |
| Mola | ropa, camisa | Literally “clothing,” refers specifically to the Kuna’s famous reverse-embroidered artwork. |
 |
||
| Nali | Tiburon | shark |
| Nele | jefe espiritual | spiritual leader |
| Omei | mujer | woman |
| Saila | jefe political | political leader |
| Wini | shakira | beads |
| Yala | montaña | mountain |