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◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᶻᵘˡᵘ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ⁵⁹ ◊ᵏᵃⁿʲᵃⁿⁱ
Welcome to Lesson 59 of the Latinum Institute isiZulu course. This lesson focuses on the English question word “how” and its two isiZulu equivalents, kanjani and -njani.
What does “how” mean in isiZulu?
English “how” asks two different questions with one word. It asks by what means something is done — “how do you use this?” — and it asks in what condition something is — “how are you?”
IsiZulu keeps these apart.
Kanjani asks the manner of an action. It is an adverb, stands free, and modifies a verb: Usebenzisa kanjani? — how do you use it?
-njani asks the quality or state of a thing. It is not free-standing but takes a concord agreeing with what is being asked about: Unjani? — how are you? Injani imoto? — how is the car?
The learner has already met the second without knowing it. Unjani, the first question of every conversation, is -njani with the class 1 concord u-. It does not mean “how” in the manner sense at all; it asks what sort of condition the person is in.
Course Index:
https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
Key Takeaways:
Kanjani asks manner and modifies a verb
-njani asks condition and takes a concord: unjani, injani, banjani
Unjani? is -njani, not kanjani — the greeting cannot use kanjani
Kangaki? asks “how many times”, -ngaki? asks “how many”
Ngani? asks “by what means” or “why”
Kanjalo means “thus, likewise”, the answering form of kanjani
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kanjani [ka.nˈdʒaː.ni] — “how, in what manner”. The nj cluster is /ndʒ/.
njani [ˈndʒaː.ni] — the stem, appearing with concords.
unjani [uˈndʒaː.ni] — “how are you”, class 1 concord.
injani [iˈndʒaː.ni] — “how is it”, classes 9 and 4.
banjani [ɓaˈndʒaː.ni] — “how are they”, class 2.
kanjalo [ka.nˈdʒaː.lɔ] — “thus, likewise”. Met in Lesson 54; it answers kanjani.
kangaki [ka.ˈŋaː.ki] — “how many times”.
Note on ka-: The prefix ka- forms adverbs throughout isiZulu — kanjani (how), kanjalo (thus), kahle (well), kabili (twice, Lesson 58), kancane (a little). Recognising ka- as an adverb marker unlocks a large group of words at once.
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59.1 Unjani (uˈndʒaː.ni) how-are-you
59.2 Usebenzisa (u.sɛ.ɓɛnˈziː.sa) you-use kanjani (ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) how lokhu (ˈlɔː.kʰu) this
59.3 Uze (ˈuː.zɛ) you-came kanjani (ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) how lapha (ˈlaː.pʰa) here
59.4 Injani (iˈndʒaː.ni) how-is imoto (iˈmɔː.tɔ) the-car yakho (ˈjaː.kʰɔ) your
59.5 Banjani (ɓaˈndʒaː.ni) how-are abantwana (a.ɓanˈtwaː.na) the-children
59.6 Ngiyaphila (ŋi.jaˈpʰiː.la) I-am-well wena (ˈweː.na) you unjani (uˈndʒaː.ni) how-are-you
59.7 Ngenza (ˈŋeːn.za) I-do kanjani (ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) how manje (ˈmaːn.dʒɛ) now
59.8 Kanjalo (ka.nˈdʒaː.lɔ) likewise nami (ˈnaː.mi) I-also
59.9 Uhamba (uˈhaː.mɓa) you-travel kanjani (ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) how eThekwini (ɛ.tʰɛˈkwiː.ni) to-Durban
59.10 Kungani (kuˈŋaː.ni) why ungasebenzi (u.ŋa.sɛˈɓɛːn.zi) you-do-not-work
59.11 Ngicabanga (ŋi.ǀaˈɓaːŋa) I-think ukuthi (u.kuˈtʰi) that kunjalo (kunˈdʒaː.lɔ) it-is-so
59.12 Ukubonile (u.ku.ɓɔˈniː.lɛ) you-have-seen-him kangaki (kaˈŋaː.ki) how-many-times
59.13 Injani (iˈndʒaː.ni) how-is indlela (inˈɮeː.la) the-road
59.14 Wenza (ˈweːn.za) you-do njani (ˈndʒaː.ni) how
59.15 Sebenzisa (sɛ.ɓɛnˈziː.sa) use kanjani (ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) how isitofu (i.siˈtɔː.fu) the-stove
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59.1 Unjani? → “How are you?”
59.2 Usebenzisa kanjani lokhu? → “How do you use this?”
59.3 Uze kanjani lapha? → “How did you get here?”
59.4 Injani imoto yakho? → “How's your car?”
59.5 Banjani abantwana? → “How are the children?”
59.6 Ngiyaphila, wena unjani? → “I'm well, and how are you?”
59.7 Ngenza kanjani manje? → “What do I do now?”
59.8 Kanjalo nami. → “Likewise me.”
59.9 Uhamba kanjani eThekwini? → “How do you travel to Durban?”
59.10 Kungani ungasebenzi? → “Why aren't you working?”
59.11 Ngicabanga ukuthi kunjalo. → “I think that's how it is.”
59.12 Ukubonile kangaki? → “How many times have you seen him?”
59.13 Injani indlela? → “What's the road like?”
59.14 Wenza njani? → “How did you manage it?”
59.15 Sebenzisa kanjani isitofu? → “How does one use the stove?”
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59.1 Unjani?
59.2 Usebenzisa kanjani lokhu?
59.3 Uze kanjani lapha?
59.4 Injani imoto yakho?
59.5 Banjani abantwana?
59.6 Ngiyaphila, wena unjani?
59.7 Ngenza kanjani manje?
59.8 Kanjalo nami.
59.9 Uhamba kanjani eThekwini?
59.10 Kungani ungasebenzi?
59.11 Ngicabanga ukuthi kunjalo.
59.12 Ukubonile kangaki?
59.13 Injani indlela?
59.14 Wenza njani?
59.15 Sebenzisa kanjani isitofu?
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Grammar Rules for “how” in isiZulu:
1. Kanjani — Manner
Kanjani is an adverb formed with the prefix ka-. It modifies a verb and asks by what means:
Usebenzisa kanjani? (How do you use it?)
Uze kanjani lapha? (How did you come here?)
Uhamba kanjani? (How do you travel?)
It normally follows the verb, though it may be fronted for emphasis. It never takes a concord.
2. -njani — Condition
The stem -njani takes a concord agreeing with the thing asked about:
Class 1 (a person) → unjani (how is he, how are you)
Class 2 (people) → banjani
Class 9 (imoto, indlela) → injani
Class 7 (isikole) → sinjani
The question asks what sort of state a thing is in, and expects an answer describing condition, not method.
The greeting Unjani? therefore has nothing to do with manner. It asks after condition, and is answered Ngiyaphila, “I am well” — a statement of state.
3. The Two Compared
Usebenza kanjani? asks by what method the person works.
Unjani emsebenzini? asks what condition the person is in at work.
Substituting one for the other produces a different question, not merely awkward phrasing. ✗ Ukanjani? is not a word.
4. Njani Without Ka-
The bare stem njani appears after verbs of doing:
Wenza njani? (How did you do it? What did you do?)
W enze njani na? recurs in Callaway's narratives as a formula of interrogation, and the citation below shows a version of it.
5. Related Question Words
The ka- and -ngaki families run parallel:
kangaki? — how many times
-ngaki? — how many (with concord): abantu abangaki, how many people
kungani? / ngani? — why, by what means
nini? — when (met in Lesson 55)
kuphi? — where
6. Kanjalo — the Answer
Where kanjani asks, kanjalo answers: “thus, in that way, likewise”. Kunjalo, with the impersonal concord ku-, means “it is so”.
Ngicabanga ukuthi kunjalo. (I think that's how it is.)
Common Errors to Avoid:
Using kanjani for the greeting: ✗ Ukanjani → ✓ Unjani
Using -njani of an action: ✗ Usebenzisa injani → ✓ Usebenzisa kanjani
Omitting the concord on -njani: ✗ Njani abantwana → ✓ Banjani abantwana
Confusing kangaki and -ngaki: the first counts occasions, the second counts things — the same distinction as kabili and ezimbili in Lesson 58
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Unjani and the Obligation to Ask
The greeting sequence has been mentioned in Lesson 54, and -njani is its engine. Sawubona is answered Yebo; Unjani? is answered Ngiyaphila; and the courtesy is completed by asking in return, wena unjani?, to which the reply is Nami ngiyaphila. Three lessons of this course meet in that exchange: the additive na-, the verb of being well, and the question stem of the present lesson.
To answer Unjani? and not ask in return is a real discourtesy, not a minor lapse. The question is about the other person's condition, and the reciprocity is the point.
Asking After Others
Banjani abantwana? and Unjani ubaba? — asking after children and parents by name or relation — are expected early in a conversation between people who know one another. A greeting that does not extend to the household is a curt greeting.
Kanjani in Instruction
Kanjani is the word of teaching and of manuals: indlela yokwenza, the way of doing, answers the question kanjani. Lesson 57's instructions were an extended answer to sebenzisa kanjani.
Regional Variation
Kunjani is heard alongside unjani as a general greeting, with the impersonal ku- asking after the situation rather than the person — closer to English “how's things”. Both are current.
Idiomatic Expressions:
Unjani? — how are you
Kunjani? — how are things
Kanjani? — how, in what way
Kanjalo — thus, likewise
Kunjalo — it is so
Noma kanjani — anyhow, in any case
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From Henry Callaway, Nursery Tales, Traditions, and Histories of the Zulus (1868). A child, lost and given up for dead, has been carried home on the back of a frog. Her father, who had stopped coming to the homestead because he could not bear the memory, questions her.
Part F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
Wa buza (waˈɓuː.za) he-asked uyise (uˈjiː.sɛ) her-father wa ti (ˈwaː.tʰi) he-said U ze kanjani (u.zɛ.ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) you-came-how lapa na (ˈlaː.pʰa.na) here-Q Wa ti (ˈwaː.tʰi) said umntwana (umnˈtwaː.na) the-child Ngi twaliwe (ŋi.twaˈliː.wɛ) I-was-carried iselesele (i.sɛ.lɛˈseː.lɛ) by-a-frog
Part F-B: The Text with Translation
Wa buza uyise, wa ti, “U ze kanjani lapa na?” Wa ti umntwana, “Ngi twaliwe iselesele.”
→ Callaway's own translation: “Her father asked her, ‘How did you come here?' The child said, ‘I was brought by a frog.'”
Part F-C: Original isiZulu Text
Wa buza uyise, wa ti, “U ze kanjani lapa na?” Wa ti umntwana, “Ngi twaliwe iselesele.”
Part F-D: Grammar Commentary
U ze kanjani lapa na? is the manner question of Section D. The father is asking by what means the child arrived, and kanjani is therefore correct; -njani would have asked what condition she was in, which is a different question and not the one he puts.
The final na is an interrogative particle, common in Callaway's texts and still used, which marks the sentence as a question. Modern isiZulu often omits it, relying on intonation.
Ngi twaliwe is a passive perfect — “I have been carried” — from -thwala, to carry on the head or back, with the passive -w- and the perfect -ile contracted to -iwe. The agent follows without a preposition: iselesele, by a frog. IsiZulu marks the passive agent by position and by the noun's form, not by a separate word.
U ze is from -za, to come, in the perfect: “you have come”. Callaway's disjunctive spelling separates concord from stem where modern isiZulu writes uze.
Note that the whole exchange is built on the pattern of question and answer that structures Zulu narrative: wa buza... wa ti, “he asked... he said”, with the reply introduced the same way.
Part F-E: Literary Commentary
The tale turns on a reversal that the question makes possible. The father has been avoiding the homestead because his child is dead; the child is standing in front of him; and what he asks is not whether she is alive but how she got there. The answer — carried by a frog — is delivered flatly, and the narrative moves straight on to the frog's reward. Callaway's collection is full of such moments, where the marvellous is reported in the same register as the domestic, and the interrogative kanjani is doing the ordinary work of establishing what happened.
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Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
59.16 Sawubona (sa.wuˈɓɔː.na) hello Sipho (ˈsiː.pʰɔ) Sipho unjani (uˈndʒaː.ni) how-are-you
59.17 Ngiyaphila (ŋi.jaˈpʰiː.la) I-am-well wena (ˈweː.na) you unjani (uˈndʒaː.ni) how-are-you
59.18 Nami (ˈnaː.mi) I-also ngiyaphila (ŋi.jaˈpʰiː.la) I-am-well ngiyabonga (ŋi.jaˈɓɔː.ŋa) I-thank
59.19 Injani (iˈndʒaː.ni) how-is imisebenzi (i.mi.sɛˈɓɛːn.zi) the-work emisha (ɛˈmiː.ʃa) new
59.20 Imnandi (imˈnaːn.di) it-is-pleasant kodwa (ˈkɔː.dwa) but inzima (inˈziː.ma) it-is-hard
59.21 Ufika (uˈfiː.ka) you-arrive kanjani (ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) how khona (ˈkʰɔː.na) there
59.22 Ngihamba (ŋiˈhaː.mɓa) I-go ngesitimela (ŋɛ.si.tiˈmeː.la) by-train kabili (kaˈɓiː.li) twice ngelanga (ŋɛˈlaː.ŋa) a-day
59.23 Usebenza (u.sɛˈɓɛːn.za) you-work kanjani (ka.nˈdʒaː.ni) how uma (ˈuː.ma) if kubanda (kuˈɓaːn.da) it-is-cold
59.24 Ngisebenzisa (ŋi.sɛ.ɓɛnˈziː.sa) I-use ijazi (iˈdʒaː.zi) a-coat elikhulu (ɛ.liˈkʰuː.lu) big
59.25 Banjani (ɓaˈndʒaː.ni) how-are abantu (aˈɓaːn.tu) the-people lapho (ˈlaː.pʰɔ) there
59.26 Balungile (ɓa.luˈŋiː.lɛ) they-are-good bobabili (ɓɔ.ɓaˈɓiː.li) both abaphathi (a.ɓaˈpʰaː.tʰi) the-managers
59.27 Ubona (uˈɓɔː.na) you-see umndeni (umnˈdeː.ni) family wakho (ˈwaː.kʰɔ) your kangaki (kaˈŋaː.ki) how-often
59.28 Emva (ˈɛːm.va) after kwezinyanga (kwɛ.ziˈɲaː.ŋa) of-months ezimbili (ɛ.zimˈbiː.li) two ngiyabuya (ŋi.jaˈɓuː.ja) I-return
59.29 Ngicabanga (ŋi.ǀaˈɓaːŋa) I-think ukuthi (u.kuˈtʰi) that kunzima (kunˈziː.ma) it-is-hard
59.30 Kunjalo (kunˈdʒaː.lɔ) it-is-so kodwa (ˈkɔː.dwa) but ngiyakwazi (ŋi.jaˈkwaː.zi) I-manage
Part B: Natural Sentences
59.16 “Sawubona Sipho, unjani?” → “‘Hello Sipho, how are you?'”
59.17 “Ngiyaphila. Wena unjani?” → “‘I'm well. And you?'”
59.18 “Nami ngiyaphila, ngiyabonga.” → “‘I'm well too, thank you.'”
59.19 “Injani imisebenzi emisha?” → “‘How's the new work?'”
59.20 “Imnandi, kodwa inzima.” → “‘It's good, but it's hard.'”
59.21 “Ufika kanjani khona?” → “‘How do you get there?'”
59.22 “Ngihamba ngesitimela kabili ngelanga.” → “‘I go by train twice a day.'”
59.23 “Usebenza kanjani uma kubanda?” → “‘How do you work when it's cold?'”
59.24 “Ngisebenzisa ijazi elikhulu.” → “‘I use a big coat.'”
59.25 “Banjani abantu lapho?” → “‘What are the people like there?'”
59.26 “Balungile, bobabili abaphathi.” → “‘They're good, both managers.'”
59.27 “Ubona umndeni wakho kangaki?” → “‘How often do you see your family?'”
59.28 “Emva kwezinyanga ezimbili ngiyabuya.” → “‘I go back every two months.'”
59.29 “Ngicabanga ukuthi kunzima.” → “‘I think that's hard.'”
59.30 “Kunjalo, kodwa ngiyakwazi.” → “‘It is, but I manage.'”
Part C: isiZulu Only
59.16 Sawubona Sipho, unjani?
59.17 Ngiyaphila. Wena unjani?
59.18 Nami ngiyaphila, ngiyabonga.
59.19 Injani imisebenzi emisha?
59.20 Imnandi, kodwa inzima.
59.21 Ufika kanjani khona?
59.22 Ngihamba ngesitimela kabili ngelanga.
59.23 Usebenza kanjani uma kubanda?
59.24 Ngisebenzisa ijazi elikhulu.
59.25 Banjani abantu lapho?
59.26 Balungile, bobabili abaphathi.
59.27 Ubona umndeni wakho kangaki?
59.28 Emva kwezinyanga ezimbili ngiyabuya.
59.29 Ngicabanga ukuthi kunzima.
59.30 Kunjalo, kodwa ngiyakwazi.
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The dialogue keeps the two question forms in constant alternation:
-njani with Concords: 59.16 and 59.17 (unjani, class 1), 59.19 (injani, class 4 agreeing with imisebenzi), 59.25 (banjani, class 2). Four sentences, three different concords, one stem.
Kanjani for Manner: 59.21 and 59.23. Both ask by what means, and neither could take a concord.
The Full Greeting: 59.16 to 59.18 give the complete exchange — the question, the answer with the question returned, and the reply with nami. This is the sequence described in Section E and in Lesson 54, set out in order.
Kangaki for Frequency: 59.27, and its answer in 59.28 uses emva kwezinyanga ezimbili rather than a bare numeral — the natural way to answer “how often”.
Kunjalo as Agreement: 59.30 answers 59.29. The impersonal ku- with -njalo says “it is so”, and functions as agreement.
Recycled Structures: 59.22 and 59.26 carry kabili and bobabili from Lesson 58; 59.24 carries sebenzisa from Lesson 57; 59.28 carries emva kwa- from Lesson 56 and buya from Lesson 55; 59.18 carries nami from Lesson 54; 59.29 carries ngicabanga ukuthi from Lesson 53.
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The Cluster /ndʒ/
Kanjani, njani, kanjalo and manje all contain nj /ndʒ/, a prenasalised affricate. It is a single sound, not n followed by j, and the nasal is not a separate syllable.
The Adverbial Prefix ka-
Kanjani, kanjalo, kahle, kabili, kancane, kangaki. Every one is ka- plus a stem, and every one is an adverb. This is among the most useful patterns in the language for a learner to recognise early.
Question Intonation and the Particle Na
Callaway's texts end questions with na, which modern isiZulu usually omits. Without it, a question is marked by intonation alone — a rise on the penultimate syllable — and by the question word itself.
Concord Recognition
Injani in 59.19 agrees with imisebenzi, a class 4 noun, not with anything class 9. Classes 4 and 9 share the concord i-, which is a common source of confusion. Only knowing the noun's class resolves it.
Callaway's Orthography
The citation writes wa ti for wathi, lapa for lapha, and ngi twaliwe for ngithwaliwe. Unmarked aspiration and disjunctive division, as throughout this source.
Recommended Audio Resources:
Any recorded Zulu conversation opens with the exchange of 59.16 to 59.18, so the forms of -njani are the first thing a listener hears and the easiest to acquire by ear. For kanjani, instructional and how-to broadcasts are the better source.
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◊ᴺᵉˣᵃˡ ◊ᴸᵃᵗⁱⁿᵘᵐ ◊ᶻᵘˡᵘ ◊ᴸᵉˢˢᵒⁿ⁵⁹ ◊ᵏᵃⁿʲᵃⁿⁱ ◊ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᵉᵗᵉ
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