umuzimu

How to say it

Meaning

the spirit of a dead person believed to linger and affect the living; an ancestral spirit or ghost.

Good to know

belongs to traditional belief and folklore rather than everyday speech.

Examples

• Basenga imizimu y'abakurambere babo.They pray to the spirits of their ancestors.
• Nk'umwana natinyaga umuzimu cyane.As a child I was very afraid of ghosts.
• Bavuze ko iyo nzu ihagarikwa n'umuzimu.They said that house is haunted by a spirit.
• Ntekereza ko umuzimu udahari, ni imigani gusa.I think ghosts don't exist, they're just old tales.

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