Nigeria is a country with diverse languages, traditions, and religions, but when we look down deep, we will discover similarities between one language or the other, between one tradition and others. Here are 8 major words you can find in both Igbo and Yoruba language but their meanings are different.
1. Ile: Ile means house in Yoruba language but when it comes to Igbo land it means tongue. The two words have the same spelling but different pronunciation and meaning.
2. Enu: this is another Igbo word meaning “Up” it also means “Mouth” in the Yoruba language
3. Owu: Owu means the same thing in both Igbo and Yoruba language. Yes, you are surprised I guess. Alright, Owu means Thread in both Yoruba and Igbo language.
4. Ede: In Igbo language, Ede means Cocoa yam while in the Yoruba language it means Language.
5. Olaniyi: This is serious Our Yoruba neighbors will never believe if I tell them the meaning of Olaniyi in the Igbo Language. In the Yoruba Language, it means a Wasteful or Useless thing. It’s funny, right? OK.
6. Aja: this word means Sand in Igbo Language and but means Dog in the Yoruba language
7. Jide: The word is actually a name in both Igbo and Yoruba Language. In the Igbo language, it is a short form of Jideofor Jidenna, while in Yoruba it is a short form of Babajide. In Igbo, it means To hold while in Yoruba it means To Appear.
8. Oja: The word means flute in Igbo Language but means market in the Yoruba language.