Formal greetings in Twi / Ghana
In Ghanaian culture, greetings hold great significance as they are seen as a reflection of respect, politeness, and communal values. Greeting someone properly acknowledges their presence and expresses goodwill. It also reinforces the spirit of hospitality that is deeply ingrained in Ghanaian society. For holiday greetings check this out.
Maakye / Me ma wo akye - Good morning
Good morning in Twi is “Me ma wo akye” which is contracted as “Maakye” . After receiving these greetings, reply “Yaa nua” to a colleague, “Yaa agya” to an elderly man, “Yaa ɛna” to an elderly female.
Maaha / Me ma wo aha - Good afternoon
Similar to the “Maakye” we learnt earlier, “Maaha” is the contracted form of “Me ma wo aha”. The replies in Twi are the same as with good morning since they depend on the person offering greetings and not the time of day.
Maadwo / Me ma wo adwo - Good evening
To offer greetings in Twi during the evening you say “Maadwo” or ”Me ma wo adwo”.
Akwaaba - Welcome
Ghanaians are known to be very hospitable people and a key way of showing this is the word “Akwaaba” . “Akwaaba” means welcome and is a friendly greeting used to show hospitality and receive guests. You can also say “mema wo akwaaba” thus “I welcome you” or “yɛma wo akwaaba” meaning "we welcome you".
Example Twi Conversation
There you go! Now you should be able to understand some simple conversations and start to build familiarity with some common conversational patterns.
Example 1: Ama greets Kofi.
Ama: Kofi, maakye! ( Kofi, good morning )
Kofi: Yaa nua, Ama! [ Response to Ama's greetings ]
Example 2: Abena is excited to see Kofi again.
Abena: Ei Kofi! Akwaaba! ( Wow Kofi! Welcome! )
Abena: Na εte sεn? ( And how is it going? )
Kofi: Nyame adom oo. Me ho yε. ( By God's grace, I'm fine. )
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