The purpose of this list is to give a rough idea of the Shona 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 | Shona |
| I | ndi, ini |
| you *(sing)* | iwe |
| he | a |
| we | ti |
| you *(pl)* | imi |
| they | va |
| this | ino |
| that | iyo |
| here | pano |
| there | apo |
| who | ani |
| what | chii |
| where | kupi |
| when | rini |
| how | sei, -ngani |
| not | kwete |
| all | ese |
| many | zhinji |
| some | amwe |
| few | shoma |
| other | imwe |
| one | motsi |
| two | piri |
| three | tatu |
| four | china |
| five | shanu |
| big | -hombe |
| long | -reba |
| wide | -fara |
| thick | -kora |
| heavy | -rema |
| small | -diki |
| short | -pfupi |
| narrow | -dete, -nhete, -sunhu |
| thin | -onda |
| woman | mukadzi |
| man | murume |
| human | munhu |
| child | mwana |
| wife | mudzimai |
| husband | murume |
| mother | amai |
| father | baba |
| animal | mhuka |
| fish | hove |
| bird | shiri, nyana *(young bird)* |
| dog | imbwa |
| louse | inda |
| snake | nyoka |
| worm | gonye |
| tree | muti |
| forest | sango |
| stick | rutanda |
| fruit | muchero |
| seed | mhodzi, mbeu |
| leaf | shizha |
| root | mudzi |
| bark *(tree)* | gwati |
| flower | ruva |
| grass | uswa |
| rope | tambo |
| skin | ganda |
| meat | nyama |
| blood | ropa |
| bone | bvupa |
| fat *(n.)* | mafuta |
| egg | zai |
| horn | nyanga |
| tail | muswe |
| feather | nhenga |
| hair | vhudzi, mvere *(wool)* |
| head | musoro |
| ear | nzeve |
| eye | ziso |
| nose | mhuno |
| mouth | muromo, mukanwa |
| tooth | zino |
| tongue | rurimi |
| fingernail | nzara |
| foot | tsoka |
| leg | gumbo |
| knee | ibvi |
| hand | ruoko |
| wing | bapiro |
| belly | dumbu |
| guts | ura, matumbu |
| neck | mutsipa, huro *(throat)* |
| back | musana |
| breast | zamu *(breast)*, chifuva *(chest)* |
| heart | moyo |
| liver | chitaka |
| to drink | -nwa |
| to eat | kudya, -dya |
| to bite | -ruma |
| to suck | -sveta |
| to spit | -pfira |
| to vomit | -rutsa |
| to blow | -furidza |
| to breathe | -fema |
| to laugh | -seka |
| to see | -ona |
| to hear | -nzwa |
| to know | -ziva |
| to think | -funga |
| to smell | -nhuwidza |
| to fear | -tya |
| to sleep | -rara |
| to live | -rarama |
| to die | -fa |
| to kill | -uraya |
| to fight | -rwa |
| to hunt | -vhima |
| to hit | -rova, -bhura |
| to cut | -cheka, -kuma |
| to split | -dambura |
| to stab | -baya, -junga |
| to scratch | -kwenya, -kwara |
| to dig | -chera, -tukumbam |
| to swim | -shambira |
| to fly | -mbururuka |
| to walk | -famba |
| to come | -uya |
| to lie *(bed)* | -garira *(ambush)*, -zorora *(rest)* |
| to sit | -gara |
| to stand | -sumuka, -simuka, -mira |
| to turn | -pota |
| to fall | -wa, -donha |
| to give | -pa |
| to hold | -bata, -pfunda |
| to squeeze | -dvinya |
| to rub | -kwiza |
| to wash | -geza |
| to wipe | -pukuta |
| to pull | -zvuva, -dhonza |
| to push | -sunda, -sandidzira |
| to throw | -kanda |
| to tie | -sunga |
| to sew | -sona |
| to count | -verenga, -rava |
| to say | -taura, -ti |
| to sing | -imba |
| to play | -tamba |
| to float | -papama |
| to flow | -erera |
| to freeze | -gwamba, -tonhodza |
| to swell | -zvimba |
| sun | zuva |
| moon | jenaguru, mwedzi *(month)* |
| star | nyeredzi |
| water | mvura |
| rain | kunaya |
| river | rwizi |
| lake | dziva |
| sea | gungwa, nyanza *(ocean)* |
| salt | munyu |
| stone | ibwe |
| sand | jecha |
| dust | huruva |
| earth | ivhu, pasi |
| cloud | gore, fuva *(< Manyika)* |
| fog | mhute |
| sky | denga |
| wind | mhepo |
| snow | sino *(< Eng)* |
| ice | aisi *(< Eng)* |
| smoke | hutsi |
| fire | moto |
| ash | dota |
| to burn | -pisa |
| road | rhodhi |
| mountain | gomo |
| red | -tsvuku |
| green | -girini *(< Eng)* |
| yellow | -yero |
| white | -chena |
| black | -dema |
| night | husiku |
| day | zuva |
| year | gore |
| warm | -dziya |
| cold | -tonhora |
| full | -zara |
| new | -itsva |
| old | -chembera, -tsaru |
| good | -naka |
| bad | -ipa |
| rotten | -ora *(rot)* |
| dirty | -asviba |
| straight | -twasanuka |
| round | denderedzwa |
| sharp *(knife)* | -pinza |
| blunt *(knife)* | -gomara |
| smooth | -tsetseka |
| wet | -totesa |
| dry | -omesa, -oma |
| correct | -tsiura, -ruramisa |
| near | -pedo |
| far | -kure |
| right | -rudyi |
| left | ruboshwe |
| at | ku, kuna, pa, pana |
| in | mu |
| with | ne |
| and | na-, ne- |
| if | dai, nana, kana |
| because | nekuti |
| name | zita, dzinza *(family name)* |