ke

How to say it

Meaning

female or feminine, denoting the female sex or gender, especially of animals or grammatical class.

Good to know

a root/particle meaning female, seen in derived words like mke (wife), kike (feminine, womanly) and jike (female animal); rarely stands alone in modern speech.

Examples

• Mtoto huyu ni wa kike.This child is female.
• Kuku yule ni jike, si jogoo.That chicken is a hen, not a rooster.
• Je, paka wako ni jike au dume?Is your cat female or male?
• Wanawake na wasichana ni jinsia ya kike.Women and girls are of the female sex.

The same word in