The Northern Sotho Alphabet

Q: What is the difference between Northern Sotho, Sepedi, and Sesotho sa Leboa?

Northern Sotho , Sepedi , and Sesotho sa Leboa are three names for the same standardised language (ISO 639-3: nso). Northern Sotho is the geographic name used in English academic literature; Sepedi (Se- = "language of" + Pedi = the dominant dialect group) is the most common name in government use; Sesotho sa Leboa means "Sotho of the North" [1] . PanSALB officially uses "Sepedi" for administrative purposes; the 1996 Constitution lists it as one of eleven official languages. The University of Limpopo uses "Northern Sotho" in academic contexts. All three names refer to the same standardised language used in Limpopo Province primary schools and SABC radio broadcasting [3] .

Q: What is the lateral affricate tlh in Northern Sotho?

The tlh (/tɬ/) is a voiceless lateral affricate — a stop consonant (T) that releases as a lateral fricative (air flowing over the sides of the tongue with friction). It is produced by placing the tongue tip on the alveolar ridge (as for T) then releasing the airflow over the sides of the tongue rather than through the centre [2] . The tlh sound is shared across the Sotho-Tswana sub-family (Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Setswana) and is the most distinctive phonological feature separating them from Nguni languages (Zulu, Xhosa) which have clicks instead. Examples: tlhako (footprint), tlhapa (wash), tlhong (shame) [2] .

Q: Is Northern Sotho related to Sesotho (Southern Sotho)?

Northern Sotho and Sesotho (Southern Sotho) are closely related Bantu languages in the Sotho-Tswana sub-group. They share the lateral affricate tlh, aspirated stops (ph, th, kh), and the five-vowel system. Setswana (Tswana) is also in this sub-group. However, Northern Sotho and Sesotho are treated as distinct standardised languages with separate ISO codes (nso vs. st) [1] . Key differences include numeral forms, vocabulary, and certain grammatical particles. Sesotho uses se- where Northern Sotho often uses go-. Sesotho is official in Lesotho and South Africa; Northern Sotho (Sepedi) is official only in South Africa and concentrated in Limpopo Province [3] .

Q: What does the go particle do in Northern Sotho?

In Northern Sotho, go is the infinitive marker placed before verbs: go bua (to speak), go ya (to go), go ja (to eat), go tla (to come). It is the most frequent function word in the language, appearing before virtually every verb in its infinitive or nominal form [3] . Go also functions as the Class 15 noun-class prefix for verbal nouns — go ja (eating/food), go bua (speaking/speech). In both functions, go is structurally equivalent to the English infinitive marker "to". This dual role makes go phonologically and grammatically central to Northern Sotho [2] .

Q: Where is Northern Sotho spoken?

Northern Sotho is spoken primarily in Limpopo Province (South Africa's northernmost province), particularly in the Polokwane, Bela-Bela, Tzaneen, and Giyani areas. It also has significant speaker communities in Gauteng Province (Johannesburg) and parts of the North West Province [1] . According to the South Africa Census 2022, approximately 4–5 million people speak Northern Sotho as their home language, making it the fourth or fifth most spoken home language in South Africa. The University of Limpopo in Polokwane is the centre of academic study for Northern Sotho / Sepedi [3] .

Q: Does Northern Sotho have click consonants?

Northern Sotho does not have click consonants . Click consonants are found in the Nguni Bantu languages (Zulu, Xhosa, Swati, Ndebele) where they were borrowed from Khoisan languages through long-term contact in southern Africa. Northern Sotho belongs to the Sotho-Tswana sub-branch, which developed independently in the interior plateau [2] . Instead of clicks, Northern Sotho has the characteristic Sotho-Tswana features: the lateral affricate tlh (/tɬ/), aspirated stops (ph, th, kh), and the palatalised stop bj. The Sotho-Tswana/Nguni division in southern Africa reflects distinct historical migration routes and contact patterns [1] .

Q: What is PanSALB and how does it relate to Northern Sotho?

The PAN South African Language Board (PanSALB) is the statutory body established under the PanSALB Act to promote all eleven official South African languages including Northern Sotho (Sepedi). PanSALB maintains the official orthography, promotes standardisation, and oversees the production of educational materials in Northern Sotho [1] . PanSALB works with the University of Limpopo and other institutions to develop Northern Sotho terminological resources for government, law, and education. The University of South Africa (UNISA) also offers Northern Sotho studies by distance learning as part of its African Languages programme [3] .

Q: What is the ISO 639-3 code for Northern Sotho?

The ISO 639-3 code for Northern Sotho (Sepedi, Sesotho sa Leboa) is nso . It also has the ISO 639-1 two-letter code ns , reflecting its status as an officially recognised national language. The code nso is registered in the SIL International language database alongside the two variant names Sepedi and Sesotho sa Leboa [1] . The University of Limpopo and UNISA are the primary academic institutions for Northern Sotho language studies in South Africa. The language is used in Limpopo Province primary education as a medium of instruction and as a subject. SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) broadcasts news and programmes in Northern Sotho on radio [3] .

Northern Sotho at a Glance

Northern Sotho (Sesotho sa Leboa, Sepedi, ISO 639-3: nso) is a Sotho-Tswana Bantu language spoken by approximately 4–5 million people, primarily in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is one of eleven official languages of South Africa under the 1996 Constitution, standardised by the PAN South African Language Board ^[1]
The language has three official names used interchangeably: Northern Sotho (geographic name), Sesotho sa Leboa (meaning "Sotho of the north" — distinguishing it from Southern Sotho / Sesotho), and Sepedi (after the Pedi dialect, originally dominant in the Pietersburg/Polokwane area). All three refer to the same standardised language with ISO 639-3 code nso ^[1]
Northern Sotho shares the Sotho-Tswana feature of the lateral affricate tlh (/tɬ/) — a consonant produced as a stop released as a lateral fricative. This sound, shared with Sesotho and Setswana, is absent from Nguni languages (Zulu, Xhosa) and distinguishes the Sotho-Tswana sub-branch of Southern Bantu ^[2]
Northern Sotho has aspirated stop consonants ph (/pʰ/), th (/tʰ/), and kh (/kʰ/) — stops produced with a burst of breath — and the palatalised stop bj (/bʲ/). These are written as digraphs in the Latin orthography used in South African education. Northern Sotho does not have click consonants ^[2]
The go particle is the most frequent function word in Northern Sotho — it marks the infinitive of every verb (go bua = to speak, go ya = to go, go ja = to eat) and serves as the Class 15 noun-class prefix. This makes go structurally equivalent to the English word "to" before verbs ^[3]
The University of Limpopo in Polokwane is the major academic centre for Northern Sotho studies, with a dedicated African Languages department producing grammars, dictionaries, and educational materials. The language is the medium of instruction in Limpopo Province primary schools and is broadcast on SABC radio ^[3]

Northern Sotho Vowels

Northern Sotho has five vowel qualities (a, e, i, o, u), shared with Sesotho and Setswana across the Sotho-Tswana sub-group. The language uses tones to distinguish words and grammatical categories, though tones are not marked in the standard Latin orthography used in South African schools ^[2].

The infinitive particle go is derived from an earlier vowel-initial syllable and precedes every verb. In the noun-class system, go also marks Class 15 nouns (abstract verbal nouns), making it one of the most versatile particles in Northern Sotho grammar ^[3].

Northern Sotho Vowels:

[a]

[e]

[i]

[o]

[u]

Northern Sotho Consonants

Northern Sotho consonants include the distinctive lateral affricate tlh (/tɬ/) shared with Sesotho and Setswana, aspirated stops ph, th, kh, the palatalised stop bj, and the palatal nasal ny (/ɲ/). The absence of click consonants distinguishes all Sotho-Tswana languages from the Nguni languages (Zulu, Xhosa, Phuthi, Swati) spoken further east and south ^[2].

The digraph tsh (/tʃ/) represents the postalveolar affricate (the CH sound), while sh (/ʃ/) represents the postalveolar fricative (SH sound). Both are written as digraphs in the Northern Sotho Latin orthography established under PanSALB standards ^[1].

Northern Sotho Consonants:

[b]

[bj]

[d]

[f]

[ɡ]

[h]

[dʒ]

[k]

[kʰ]

[l]

[m]

[n]

[ŋ]

[ɲ]

[p]

[pʰ]

[r]

[s]

[ʃ]

[t]

[tʰ]

tlh

[tɬ]

[ts]

tsh

[tʃ]

[w]

[j]

[z]

[b]

Voiced bilabial stop /b/ — B as in "bat"; Northern Sotho: bua (speak), bana (children)

[bj]

Palatalised voiced bilabial stop /bʲ/ — B followed by palatal glide; Northern Sotho: bjala (sorghum beer)

[d]

Voiced alveolar stop /d/ — D as in "dog"; Northern Sotho: dula (sit/stay), dilo (things)

[f]

Voiceless labiodental fricative /f/ — F as in "fun"; Northern Sotho: fela (only/just), feta (pass)

[ɡ]

Voiced velar stop /ɡ/ — G as in "go"; Northern Sotho: gata (press/tread)

[h]

Voiceless glottal fricative /h/ — H as in "house"; Northern Sotho: hola (grow up)

[dʒ]

Voiced palatal affricate /dʒ/ — J as in "joy"; Northern Sotho: jaaka (like/as)

[k]

Voiceless velar stop /k/ — K as in "kit"; Northern Sotho: ka (by/with), kua (there)

[kʰ]

Aspirated voiceless velar stop /kʰ/ — K with strong puff of air; Northern Sotho: khukhu (hen/chicken), khumo (wealth)

[l]

Alveolar lateral approximant /l/ — L as in "lamp"; Northern Sotho: lapa (home/household), lefase (land/earth)

[m]

Bilabial nasal /m/ — M as in "mother"; Northern Sotho: motho (person), morago (later/behind)

[n]

Alveolar nasal /n/ — N as in "night"; Northern Sotho: nna (I/me), noka (river)

[ŋ]

Velar nasal /ŋ/ — NG as in "sing"; Northern Sotho: lenga (wait), tlhong (shame)

[ɲ]

Palatal nasal /ɲ/ — NY as in "canyon"; Northern Sotho: nyaka (want/seek), nyalo (marriage)

[p]

Voiceless bilabial stop /p/ — P as in "pin"; Northern Sotho: pela (next to/near)

[pʰ]

Aspirated voiceless bilabial stop /pʰ/ — P with puff of air; not the English "ph" sound; Northern Sotho: phiri (hyena), phepa (be clean)

[r]

Alveolar trill or flap /r/ — R as in "run"; Northern Sotho: rata (love/like), rena (us/we)

[s]

Voiceless alveolar fricative /s/ — S as in "sun"; Northern Sotho: se (not/Class 7 prefix), sala (stay/remain)

[ʃ]

Voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/ — SH as in "ship"; Northern Sotho: shuka (sugar)

[t]

Voiceless alveolar stop /t/ — T as in "top"; Northern Sotho: taba (matter/news), tla (come)

[tʰ]

Aspirated voiceless alveolar stop /tʰ/ — T with puff of air; not the English "th"; Northern Sotho: thipa (knife), thata (hard/difficult)

tlh

[tɬ]

Voiceless lateral affricate /tɬ/ — a stop released as a lateral fricative; characteristic of the Sotho-Tswana group; Northern Sotho: tlhako (footprint), tlhapa (wash)

[ts]

Voiceless alveolar affricate /ts/ — TS blend as one phoneme; Northern Sotho: tsa (of/belonging to), tsela (path/way)

tsh

[tʃ]

Voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/ — CH as in "church"; Northern Sotho: tshwana (resemble/be like)

[w]

Labio-velar approximant /w/ — W as in "water"; Northern Sotho: wa (fall), wena (you)

[j]

Palatal approximant /j/ — Y as in "yes"; Northern Sotho: ya (go), yena (he/she/it)

[z]

Voiced alveolar fricative /z/ — Z as in "zoo"; Northern Sotho: zula (roam/wander)

Northern Sotho Function Words

The go particle, ke copula, and le conjunction are the three most frequent function words in Northern Sotho. They are grammatically multifunctional — go marks infinitives and Class 15 nouns; ke marks identity and first-person subject; le marks conjunction "and" and Class 5 nouns ^[3].

These function words differ significantly from their Sesotho equivalents — a key reason why Northern Sotho (Sepedi) is treated as a separate standardised language rather than a dialect of Southern Sotho, despite shared ancestry in the Sotho-Tswana subgroup of Southern Bantu ^[2].

Northern Sotho Special Characters:

[ɡɔ]

[kɛ]

[lɛ]

Digits (1–10 in Northern Sotho)

Northern Sotho numerals use the Sotho-Tswana roots (-nngwe, -bedi, -raro, -nne, -hlano) that contrast with Eastern Bantu roots (Swahili moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano). The Sotho word for ten is lesome — contrasting with Zulu ishumi and Swahili kumi, reflecting the deep divergence between Sotho-Tswana and Nguni-Eastern Bantu ^[1].

Numerals in Northern Sotho agree with the noun class of the noun they modify — a feature common to all Bantu languages. The root -supa (seven) is particularly interesting as it is related to the verb go supa (to point/indicate) — seven is "the pointing number" ^[3].

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[1]

One in Northern Sotho — -nngwe (the root changes prefix with noun class; e.g., mongwe = one person, nngwe = one thing)

[2]

Two in Northern Sotho — -bedi / bobedi (the -bedi root is shared across Sotho-Tswana: Sesotho -bedi, Setswana -bedi)

[3]

Three in Northern Sotho — -raro / boraro (compare Sesotho -raro, Setswana -raro — common Sotho-Tswana root)

[4]

Four in Northern Sotho — -nne / bonne (the -nne root for four appears across the Sotho-Tswana group; compare Zulu -ne)

[5]

Five in Northern Sotho — -hlano / bohlano (the -hlano root for five is characteristic of Sotho-Tswana; compare Zulu -hlanu, Xhosa -hlanu)

[6]

Six in Northern Sotho — -tshela / botshela (six; formed from a root related to "crossing over" five)

[7]

Seven in Northern Sotho — -supa / bosupa (seven; the -supa root meaning "to point" is shared with Sesotho and Setswana)

[8]

Eight in Northern Sotho — -seswai / boseswai (eight; a Sotho-Tswana numeral with parallels in Sesotho robedi and Setswana -robedi)

[9]

Nine in Northern Sotho — -senyane / bosenyane (nine; the -senyane root is the Sotho-Tswana form of nine)

[10]

Ten in Northern Sotho — lesome / bolesome (ten; -some is the Sotho-Tswana root for ten, contrasting with -kumi in Eastern Bantu languages like Swahili kumi and Tumbuka khumi)

Complete Northern Sotho Alphabet

The complete Northern Sotho Latin alphabet uses standard ISO letters plus digraphs (bj, kh, ng, ny, ph, sh, th, tlh, ts, tsh) and the trigraph tlh representing the lateral affricate /tɬ/. The tlh trigraph is the most distinctive orthographic feature of all Sotho-Tswana languages ^[1].

PanSALB (PAN South African Language Board) maintains the official orthographic standards for Northern Sotho used in government documents, education materials, and SABC broadcasting. The University of Limpopo has produced the most comprehensive dictionaries and grammars for Northern Sotho / Sepedi ^[3].

[a]

[b]

[bj]

[d]

[e]

[f]

[ɡ]

[h]

[i]

[dʒ]

[k]

[kʰ]

[l]

[m]

[n]

[ŋ]

[ɲ]

[o]

[p]

[pʰ]

[r]

[s]

[ʃ]

[t]

[tʰ]

Tlh

[tɬ]

[ts]

Tsh

[tʃ]

[u]

[w]

[j]

[z]

Expand All Collapse All

What is the difference between Northern Sotho, Sepedi, and Sesotho sa Leboa?

What is the lateral affricate tlh in Northern Sotho?

Is Northern Sotho related to Sesotho (Southern Sotho)?

What does the go particle do in Northern Sotho?

Where is Northern Sotho spoken?

Does Northern Sotho have click consonants?

What is PanSALB and how does it relate to Northern Sotho?

What is the ISO 639-3 code for Northern Sotho?

References:

[1] Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). "Census 2022 — Languages Most Spoken at Home in South Africa". Retrieved from Statistics South Africa — Language Statistics
[2] University of South Africa (UNISA), Department of African Languages. "Sesotho sa Leboa (Northern Sotho / Sepedi) Language Studies". Retrieved from University of South Africa (UNISA) — African Languages
[3] University of Limpopo, Faculty of Humanities. "African Languages — Sepedi / Northern Sotho Studies". Retrieved from University of Limpopo — Faculty of Humanities