Chapter 7: Idioms and the Body
Body-Part Idioms in Dholuo
Dholuo is full of idioms built on body parts: iya owang’, chunye pek, chunye oduogo. Learn what they really mean.
📚 Theory: Idioms using parts of the body
Dholuo is rich in idioms formed using parts of the body
| Dholuo | Literal | English |
|---|---|---|
| Iya owang’ | My stomach burns | I am angry |
| Owang’o iya | It burns my stomach | It annoys me |
| Iya lit | My stomach is painful | I’m jealous |
| Chunye pek | His heart is heavy | He is sad |
| Chunye oduogo | His heart has returned | He is encouraged |
| Wiye owil | His head turned | He has forgotten |
| Wiye tek | His head is hard | He is stubborn |
| Wiye pek | His head is heavy | He is not intelligent |
| Mako ich | To hold stomach | To conceive |
| Wiya bara | My head splits me | I have a headache |
| Iya kaya | My stomach bites me | My stomach hurts |
🎯 Practice Exercises
Interactive practice for this lesson is coming soon. In the meantime, say the phrases above out loud on Echo.
Speak on Echo
Answer the daily Dholuo prompt or post your own recording on Echo. Other learners listen, and a native Luo speaker reviews how you sound.
Practice speaking on Echo