wili
WEE-lee
How to say it
SwahiliwiliWEE-lee
Englishtwo (in wawili, viwili, mawili)
Frenchdeux
Meaning
The stem of the number two, which takes the prefix of the noun it counts. When simply counting, the form is mbili.
Good to know
It agrees with the noun: watu wawili, vitabu viwili, mayai mawili, miti miwili, nyumba mbili. Uwili means duality, and pili means second (wa pili).
Examples
- Nina watoto wawili, mvulana na msichana.I have two children, a boy and a girl.
- Alinunua vitabu viwili vya hadithi.He bought two storybooks.
- Tulikula mayai mawili kila mmoja.We ate two eggs each.
Not yet checked by a native speaker.