Spelling
Headwords use the official Kreyòl spelling, which is phonetic: each letter or letter group has one sound, so è and ò are always open vowels.
Kreyòl Ayisyen lexicon
Haitian Creole Dictionary
Everyday Kreyòl words with English meanings, pronunciation, and example sentences: greetings, numbers, common verbs, food, and family terms.
- English
- To go
- Definition
- To go. Often shortened to al. Pral (from ap + ale) marks the future: m pral manje, I'm going to eat.
- Example
- Kote ou prale? (Where are you going?)
- Origin
- From French aller.
- Register
- Everyday
- English
- A lot; many; very much
- Definition
- A lot, many or very much. It comes after a verb or before a noun: anpil moun (many people).
- Example
- Gen anpil moun nan mache a. (There are a lot of people at the market.)
- Origin
- —
- Register
- Everyday
- Related
- Mèsi anpil
- English
- Haiti
- Definition
- The Kreyòl name of Haiti, which in 1804 became the first nation founded by formerly enslaved people.
- Example
- Mwen fèt ann Ayiti. (I was born in Haiti.)
- Origin
- From the Taíno name for the island, usually translated as "land of mountains".
- Register
- Cultural
- English
- Plantain
- Definition
- Plantain, eaten boiled or fried. Bannann peze are flattened, twice-fried plantain slices. A sweet banana is fig, not bannann.
- Example
- Griyo ak bannann peze se manje m pi renmen. (Griyo with fried plantains is my favorite food.)
- Origin
- —
- Register
- Food
- English
- To give
- Definition
- To give. Shortens to ba or ban before pronouns: ban m means "give me".
- Example
- Ban m liv la. (Give me the book.)
- Origin
- From French bailler, an old word for "to give".
- Register
- Everyday
- Related
- Tanpri
- English
- To need
- Definition
- To need.
- Example
- Mwen bezwen èd. (I need help.)
- Origin
- From French besoin (need).
- Register
- Everyday
- Related
- Vle
- English
- Good night
- Definition
- Said when leaving for the night or going to bed.
- Example
- Bòn nwit, dòmi byen. (Good night, sleep well.)
- Origin
- From French bonne nuit.
- Register
- Everyday
- English
- God
- Definition
- God. Used in many everyday sayings, such as si Bondye vle (God willing).
- Example
- N a wè demen, si Bondye vle. (See you tomorrow, God willing.)
- Origin
- From French bon Dieu (good God).
- Register
- Everyday
- Religious
- Related
- Kenbe la
- English
- Good morning; hello
- Definition
- The standard daytime greeting, used from morning until around midday. Greeting people when you arrive is expected in Haiti, so bonjou is often the first word of any conversation.
- Example
- Bonjou, kijan ou ye? (Good morning, how are you?)
- Origin
- From French bonjour.
- Register
- Everyday
- Respectful
- Related
- Bonswa · Kijan ou ye?
- English
- Good afternoon; good evening
- Definition
- Greeting used from around midday onward, through the afternoon and evening.
- Example
- Bonswa, madanm. (Good afternoon, ma'am.)
- Origin
- From French bonsoir.
- Register
- Everyday
- Respectful
- English
- To drink
- Definition
- To drink.
- Example
- Bwè dlo, li fè cho. (Drink water, it's hot.)
- Origin
- From French boire.
- Register
- Everyday
- English
- Two
- Definition
- The number two.
- Example
- M gen de pitit. (I have two children.)
- Origin
- From French deux.
- Register
- Everyday
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About the Haitian Creole Dictionary
This dictionary is a companion to our Haitian Creole to English translator. Use the translator for full sentences in either direction; use this page when you want a single word, how it sounds, and an example of it in use.
Examples
Each entry has a short Kreyòl sentence with its English translation, so you see the word in context rather than alone.
Origin
Most Kreyòl vocabulary comes from 17th and 18th century French. Origin notes show the source word where it is well established.
Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisyen) is spoken by about 12 million people in Haiti and the diaspora. Its vocabulary is mostly French in origin, but its grammar is its own, shaped by the West African languages of the people who created it. It has been an official language of Haiti, alongside French, since 1987.
Dictionnaire créole haïtien (kreyòl ayisyen) et anglais : chaque mot est accompagné de sa traduction anglaise, de sa prononciation et d'un exemple. Pour traduire des phrases complètes, utilisez notre traducteur créole haïtien anglais gratuit.