Ukucela empunzini
Literally to beg from the duiker
Means to run for one's life, to flee in a hurry
Example Wacela empunzini emva kokubona ibhubesi.
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 14 of the most common Zulu idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Zulu idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, Ukucela empunzini literally means "to beg from the duiker" but is used to mean to run for one's life, to flee in a hurry. This free tool lists 14 real Zulu idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 14 Zulu idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
Ukucela empunzini
Literally to beg from the duiker
Means to run for one's life, to flee in a hurry
Example Wacela empunzini emva kokubona ibhubesi.
Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo
Literally you have struck the women, you have struck a grindstone
Means do not underestimate or mistreat women, they are as tough as rock
Example Abesifazane bathi, "Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo!" uma bekhankasela amalungelo abo.
Ukudla imbuya ngothi
Literally to eat wild greens with a stick
Means to be very poor
Example Umdlali webhola odumile useqala ukudla imbuya ngothi ngemuva kokushiya iqembu lakhe elikhulu.
Ukuzalelwa esithebeni
Literally to be born on the serving tray
Means to be born into wealth and never want for anything
Example Wazalelwa esithebeni, akakaze aswele lutho empilweni yakhe.
Ukufihla induku emqubeni
Literally to hide a stick in the manure heap
Means to conceal a plan or surprise until the right moment
Example UZinhle ubefihle induku emqubeni, wafika nesipho esimangazayo.
Ukubamba iqhude
Literally to catch the rooster
Means to wake up very early in the morning
Example Kufanele sibambe iqhude uma sifuna ukufika ngesikhathi emsebenzini.
Ukudla umunyu
Literally to eat grief
Means to suffer, to go through great hardship
Example Selokhu waxoshwa emsebenzini, usedla umunyu.
Ukuthunga intebe
Literally to sew an arum lily
Means to attempt something that is bound to fail
Example Ukuzama ukumshintsha kunjengokuthunga intebe.
Uthinte ubhece esafinya
Literally you touched the wild melon while it was still unripe
Means to be extremely poor, destitute
Example Kusukela washona uyise, usuthinte ubhece esafinya.
Ukushiya induku ebandla
Literally to leave one's stick behind in the assembly
Means to leave behind a good legacy or example
Example Ugogo washiya induku ebandla ngokukhulisa izingane eziningi ezaphumelela empilweni.
Ukuthezela entanjeni
Literally to gather firewood tied on a rope
Means to do only as much as your strength or means allow
Example Wena thezela entanjeni, ungazenzeli izinto ezingaphezu kwamandla akho.
Ukushaya ngemfe iphindiwe
Literally to strike with a doubled sugarcane stalk
Means to punish or deal with someone very harshly
Example Uthisha wamshaya ngemfe iphindiwe ngenxa yokungalaleli kwakhe.
Ukukhamela ikhambi ekhanda
Literally to squeeze medicine onto someone's head
Means to teach someone a lesson they will never forget
Example Umqeqeshi wabakhamela ikhambi ekhanda ngemva kokulahlekelwa umdlalo ngamahloni.
Ukukhihla esikaNandi
Literally to wail as at Nandi's mourning
Means to cry uncontrollably, in dramatic and hysterical fashion
Example Uma efika emngcwabeni, wakhihla esikaNandi phambi kwabo bonke abantu.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Zulu books with sentence-aligned translation and native-narrated audio, so you meet idioms in the wild and tap any line you do not get. Save them and review later. Free to start.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Ukucela empunzini comes out as "to beg from the duiker", which makes no sense until you know it means to run for one's life, to flee in a hurry.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Zulu sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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Some of the most common Zulu idioms are Ukucela empunzini, Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo, Ukudla imbuya ngothi, Ukuzalelwa esithebeni. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This tool lists 14 of them with their meaning and an example sentence.
In Zulu, "Ukucela empunzini" translates literally as "to beg from the duiker", but it actually means to run for one's life, to flee in a hurry. You would use it like this: Wacela empunzini emva kokubona ibhubesi.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Ukucela empunzini translates literally as "to beg from the duiker", yet it means to run for one's life, to flee in a hurry. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Zulu with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.