Akpaalaokwu n’asụsụ Igbo | Idioms in Igbo Language

O nweghi onye ma onye buru uzo jiri akpaala okwu Igbo, turu ilu, ma obu onye tuo ilu. A na-ekwu na ọ bụ mmadụ, ebo, obodo, ma ọ bụ ndị mmadụ na-enwe mgbanwe dị iche iche n’asụsụ mgbe ụfọdụ. Naanị mgbe ndị mmadụ chọrọ ịbanye n’akụkụ okwu ndị okenye ka ha na-ewepụta ilu.

Enwere ọtụtụ ọdịiche dị n’asụsụ na ụdị dị iche iche nke okwu akpaalaokwu ndị a, enwere ike ịgbanwe ha dịka ọkà okwu chere na ọ bụ ihe kwesịrị ekwesị. Mana, imata akpaalaokwu Igbo bụ otu obere nzọụkwụ maka onye na-asụ Igbo.

Lee n’okpuru ụfọdụ akpaalaokwu n’asụsụ Igbo:

1. Agwo noro ibe ya na-enwe odu abuo.

The snake that swallows another will have two tails.

 

2. Ihe di be evu di be añu

What is in the hornet's nest is in the bee's hive.

 

3. Nwaanyi mara mma ma nwee ajo omume, a ga-alu ya alu; nwaanyi joro njo ma nwee ezi omume, a ga-alukwa ya alu; nwunye mmadu ka ha ga-abu; ma nwaanyi joro njo nwe ajo omume anaghi ebi be di.

A beautiful woman with bad character is marriageable; an ugly woman with good character
is also  marriageable -- they will both be wives; but an ugly woman with bad character does
not live in a husband's house. 

 

4. Okorobia onu-ntu na-egbunye n’akpa ndi ozo.

A chronic bachelor is working for other people.

5. Akpataghi aku na-akpata ntukwuba onu.

Destitution breeds disdain.

 

6. Ike ka e ji-añu ogwu.

It takes some strength to swallow drugs.

 

7. Udene na egbe anaghi azo nri: udene na-eri ozu; egbe na-ebu na nkike.

The vulture and the kite do not scramble for food: the vulture is a scavenger; the kite, a
predator.

 

8. Kama mmanya ga-esere ogo na ogo okwu, ya waa n’uzo.

Instead a pot of wine will breed animosity among in-laws, let it break on the way.

9. Onye riri osisi oji kpaa ya nku ka o nwere ike: anaghi ari enu oke oji kwa daa.

While on top of iroko tree, gather all the firewood you can: it is not every day that one
scales the great iroko.

 

10. Anaghi eje akwa onye kwulu udo.

No one attends the funeral of a suicide

11. Atulu na-acho ipu mpi jee jua ebune ka ekwo di ya.

A sheep that will grow horns should ask the ram how its neck feels.

 

12. Anaghi eji na aguu na-agu noo ukwara.

No one swallows phlegm to appease the pangs of hunger

 

13. Akpara akwu bu akpara-akwu; ibulu ishi akwu bu ohi.

To extract a palm nut is exactly that --to extract a palm nut; to take the entire head of palm
nut is stealing 

14. Ishi kote evu: evu agbaa ya.

If the head that disturbs the hornet's nest: it pays.

15. Ekwughiekwu mere onu; anughianu mere nti.

Unspoken, blame the mouth; unheard, blame the ear.

16. O’u onye ga-aka nwaanyi ajo mmuo gburu nwa mara maka amuosu.

Who will know better the evils of witchcraft than the woman who lost a child to evil spirits.

17. Onye vu ozu enyi anaghi eji ukwu akpa mpuzu.

He who carries the carcass of an elephant does not search for crickets with his legs.

 

18. Anaghi acho ihe na-akpa onye na-acho ihe?

You don't look for something in the pocket of someone who is looking for something.

19. Ura ga-eju onye nwuru anwu afo.

A dead person shall have all the sleep necessary.

20. Onye ite abughi onye ahia.

A clay-pot retailer is not really in business.

21. Okuko na-aboputa mma na-egbu ya.

The fowl digs out the blade that kills it.

 

22. Ukpala gbabara n’ikpo okuko na-ala ala mmuo.

The grasshopper that runs into the mist of fowls ends up in the land of spirits.

23. Onye a kporo apari, o na-ehi n’ama nna ya, abughi apari.

A presumed fool who sleeps in his father's house is not a fool.

 

24. Ndi na-eje mposi abali na-ahu ukpana ndi mmuo.

Those who defecate at night see the ghost grasshopper.

25. Nwata bunie nna ya enu, akpaamu ya ayochie ya anya.

If a child lifts his father, his scrotum will blindfold him.

 

26. Onye hapu onu ya, uguru arachaa ya.

If one fails to lick his lips, the harmattan will do it.

 

27. Okuko si na ihe ya ji-ele anya n’enu ma ya na añu mmiri bu na ihe na-egbu si n’igwe abia.

The chicken says it looks up when drinking water because what kills it comes from the sky.

 

28. Ijiji na-enweghi onye ndumodu na-eso ozu ala n’inyi.

A fly that has no counselor follows the corpse to the grave.

 

29. “Nwunye anyi, nwunye anyi”: ka ndeli bia ka anyi mara onye o bu nwunye ya.

"Our wife, our wife": come midnight and we will know whose wife she really is.

30. Ula towa uto, ekwowe ya ekwowe.

When sleep becomes enjoyable, we snore.

31. “Nwa anwuna, nwa anwuna”: nwa nwuo ka anyi mara ma chi agaghi efo.

May the child not die, may the child not die": Let it die, and let's see if the day will not
break.

 

32. O bialu be onye abiagbuna ya, mgbe o ga-ala mkpumkpu apukwana ya n’azu.

May one's visitor not constitute a problem, so that on his departure he will not leave with a
hunchback.

33. Nwa ovu na-eto, o di ka o ga-aka nne ya.

When the baby wren is growing, it looks like it would be bigger than its mother.

 

34. Okuko na-arogoro ite onu, chetekwe mma gburu ya.

The chicken frowns at the cooking pot, ignoring the knife that killed it.

 

35. Ihe ka-nte bata n’onu nte, nte etefu.

When something greater than the pigmy cricket enters its hole, it takes off.

36. A gbara aka na-azo ana, onye nwe ji a na-ako ji.

If you dispute land ownership empty-handed, the person who has yams will be planting them.

37. Onye bulu ihe isi, ijiji esoro ya.

The fly follows the person who is carrying a smelly stuff.

 

38. Uzu na-amaghi akpu ogene lee egbe anya n’odu.

The blacksmith who does know how to forge a metal gong should look at the tail of a kite.

 

39. Oke oshimmiri anokataghi rie onye obula nke o na-ahughi ukwu ya anya.

The ocean never swallows a person with whose leg it does not come in contact. 

40. Onye buru chi ya uzo, o gbagbue onwe ya n’oso.

He who walks before his godly guardian does the race of his life

41. Okuko nyuo ahu, ana achuwa ya oso.

When the fowl farts, the ground becomes a nuisance.

 

42. Onye na-acho igba oso si na-aroro ya anya.

A person who has plans to flee contends that someone made an evil eye at him.

 

43. Ulili si na-ejekete ije si tuo nkwa oso maka ihe oso e mee.

The ground squirrel says he who walks should sometimes break into a trot, in case the need to
run arises.

 

44. Okwulu anaghi amiri ote ofe.

A master chef is not blessed with a good harvest of okra.

 

45. Mmiri riri enyi ka mbe huru na-awa ogodo: o ga-efe mmiri a efe ka o ga-awu ya awu?

The tortoise gears up to besides a river that swallowed an elephant: is it going to fly over
this river or just jump over?

 

46. Ohia woro gi nku, sere gi onu.

The forest that denies you firewood has massaged your neck.

 

47. O bia mgbe Alio Ene gburu atu, ya biakwa ma atu zogbuo Alio Ene.

He who calls whenever Elder Ene kills a deer, let him call if the deer kicks the living
daylight out of Elder Ene.

 

48. Obulu na i taa m aru n’ike, ma i zeghi nshi; mu taa gi aru n’isi, agaghi m ezere uvulu.

If you bite me on the butt, despite the danger of sinking your teeth into fecal matter, then
if I bite you on the head, I will disregard the danger of sinking my teeth into cerebral
matter.

 

49. A na-asi onye e ji ugwo na agaghi akwu ya ugwo e ji ya, onye e ji ugwo na-asi na e nye ya ewu

ojii na ya agaghi ewe.
A creditor is being told he won't be paid, and he is saying he won't accept a black goat!

 

50. Okuko mmanya na-egbu ahubeghi mmanwulu ara na-ayi.

A drunken fowl has not met a mad fox.

51. Bete anu, bete anu, o’u kwa n’ahu ehi?

Cut meat, cut meat, is it not from the body of a cow?

 

52. Obele mmanwu na-akpa ike maka na ijele anoghi nso.

A small masquerade is powerful  because a big masquerade is not around.

 

53. Nwaanyi anaghi-eji na nwunyedi ya kwere ya ekene nke oma kpowa ya ogo.

A woman does not regard her sister-wife as sister-in-law  just because she (her husband's
other wife) accepted her greeting gracefully.

 

54. A na-akwa akwa ndi oke tagbulu, ngwere ewere nnu na-eso eze ha.

While we mourn those who died from rat bites,  lizards sharpen their teeth with salt.

 

55. Okuko, rie ogugu: “Unu si m rie onwu?” Okuko, hapu ogugu: “Unu si aguu gbuo m?”

Fowl, eat praying mantis: "Do you want me to die?" Fowl, let praying mantis be: "Do you want
me to starve to death?" 

 

56. Onye si na ya anaghi ata anu nkita, ya arakwala miri ofe ya.

He who abhors dog meat should not eat dog-met soup.

 

57. A tuoro omara, o mara, a tuoro ofeke, o fenye ishi n’ohia.

If you tell a wise one, he understands; tell a dunce, he runs into the bush.

 

58. Ukpana na-ere n’oku si na ya na-asha mmanu.

A grasshopper roasting over fire claims it is emitting fat.

 

59. Were ire guo eze gi onu abughi na o nwere nke na-efu.

Count your teeth with your tongue does not mean you are losing any.

60. Nti na-anughi anu ihe, mgbe a ga-egburu ishi e gburu nti.

The ear that won't hear, when the head is cut off, it goes.

 

61. A furu nwata chete nna ya.

A child reminds folks of his father.

 

62. Nwata si na nne ya agaghi arahu ura: ngwanu, ya na ura buruzianu enyi! “

A child that won't allow its mother to sleep: okay, let sleep be its friend!

63. A na-ekwu ekwu, a na-eme eme.

Talk the talk, walk the walk.



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