The purpose of this list is to give a rough idea of the Sesotho language. The words listed below are not the most common words, but a broad sampling of words. See the Word Lists page for more details.
| English | Sotho |
| I | nna |
| you *(sing)* | wena |
| he | yona |
| we | rona |
| you *(pl)* | lona |
| they | bona |
| this | ana, ena, enwa, eo, hona |
| that | aa, ale, ane, ano, bono, boo, ee, eno, hane, hono, hoo |
| here | mona, teng |
| there | ao, boo, eo |
| who | mang? ya *(relative)* |
| what | eng? |
| where | kae? |
| when | neng? |
| how | jwang |
| not | ha, ka |
| all | bohle, hohle |
| many | ngata |
| some | bang |
| few | mmalwa |
| other | engwe |
| one | nngwe |
| two | pedi |
| three | tharo |
| four | nne |
| five | hlano |
| big | -holo |
| long | -lelele, -telele |
| wide | -batsi |
| thick | -tenya |
| heavy | -boima, -pitla |
| small | -nyane |
| short | -kgutshwane, -kgutshwanyane |
| narrow | -tshesane |
| thin | -sesane |
| woman | mosadi |
| man | monna |
| human | motho |
| child | ngwana |
| wife | mohatsa, mosadi |
| husband | mohatsa |
| mother | mme |
| father | ntate |
| animal | phoofolo |
| fish | hlapi |
| bird | nonyana |
| dog | ntja |
| snake | noha |
| worm | seboko |
| tree | sefate |
| forest | moru, sekgwa |
| stick | thupa |
| fruit | tholwana |
| seed | peo |
| leaf | lehlaku |
| root | motso |
| bark *(tree)* | lekgapetla |
| flower | palesa |
| grass | jwang |
| rope | mohala |
| skin | letlalo |
| meat | nama |
| blood | madi |
| bone | lesapo |
| fat *(n.)* | mafura |
| egg | lehe |
| horn | lenaka |
| tail | mohatla |
| feather | lesiba |
| hair | moriri |
| head | hlooho |
| ear | tsebe |
| eye | leihlo |
| nose | nko |
| mouth | molomo |
| tooth | leino |
| tongue | leleme |
| fingernail | lenala |
| foot | leoto |
| leg | moomo |
| knee | lengole |
| hand | letsoho |
| wing | lepheo |
| belly | mpa |
| guts | dikahare |
| neck | molala |
| back | mokokotlo |
| breast | letswele *(breast)*, sefuba *(chest)* |
| heart | pelo |
| liver | sebete |
| to drink | nwa |
| to eat | ja |
| to bite | loma |
| to suck | monya |
| to spit | tshwela |
| to vomit | hlatsa |
| to blow | fefola |
| to breathe | phefumoloha |
| to laugh | tsheha |
| to see | bona |
| to hear | utlwa |
| to know | tseba |
| to think | nahana |
| to smell | fofonela |
| to fear | tshaba |
| to sleep | robala |
| to live | phela |
| to die | shwa |
| to kill | bolaya |
| to fight | lwana |
| to hunt | tsoma |
| to hit | bata, betsa, otla, shapa |
| to cut | phoma, seha, seta *(carve)* |
| to split | arohana, arola, petsoha |
| to stab | hlaba |
| to scratch | ngwapa |
| to dig | epa, tjheka |
| to swim | sesa |
| to fly | fofa |
| to walk | tsamaya |
| to come | tla |
| to lie *(bed)* | botha, lala, phomola *(rest)* |
| to sit | dula |
| to stand | ema |
| to turn | reteleha |
| to fall | wa |
| to give | fa |
| to hold | tshwara |
| to squeeze | tlhotla |
| to rub | pikitla |
| to wash | hlatswa |
| to wipe | hlakola |
| to pull | hula, tosola |
| to push | susumetsa |
| to throw | akga |
| to tie | fasa, tlama, tsala |
| to sew | roka |
| to count | bala |
| to say | bolela, re, tjho |
| to sing | bina, tsanyaola |
| to play | bapala |
| to float | phaphamala, sesa |
| to flow | phalla |
| to swell | ruruha |
| sun | letsatsi |
| moon | kgwedi |
| star | naledi |
| water | metsi |
| rain | pula |
| river | noka |
| lake | letsha |
| sea | lewatle |
| salt | letswai |
| stone | lejwe |
| sand | lehlabathe |
| dust | lerole |
| earth | mobu, lefatshe |
| cloud | leru |
| fog | mohodi |
| sky | lehodimo |
| wind | moya |
| snow | lehlwa |
| ice | leqhwa, aese *(< Eng)* |
| smoke | mosi |
| fire | mollo |
| ash | molora |
| to burn | besa, tjha, tjhesa, tuka |
| road | tsela |
| mountain | thaba |
| red | -fubedu |
| green | -tala |
| yellow | -sehla |
| white | -sweu |
| black | -tsho |
| night | bosiu |
| day | mohla |
| year | selemo, ngwahola *(last year)* |
| warm | -futhumetse |
| cold | -serame |
| full | -tletse |
| new | -tjha |
| old | -holo |
| good | -tle |
| bad | -be, mpe |
| rotten | bodileng |
| dirty | ditshila |
| straight | otlolohileng |
| round | -tjhitja |
| sharp *(knife)* | bohale, tjhora |
| blunt *(knife)* | nthithi |
| smooth | boreledi |
| wet | metsi |
| dry | -omisa, -oma |
| correct | nepisa |
| near | haufi, pela |
| far | hole |
| right | lokisa |
| left | leqele |
| in | ka |
| with | na |
| and | le, mme |
| if | ha |
| because | hobane |
| name | lebitso |