How do you say elephant in Afrikaans?

The afrikaans word for elephant is olifant. It is not surprising to find that the word for elephant in Dutch is olifant. In fact, it is the same in English. But the Dutch and Afrikaans spelling is different from that of most European languages.

In the Netherlands and South Africa, the ‘l’ in olifant is usually capitalized.

So, if you want to write the name of this animal in Afrikaans, you will need to

How to say elephant in Afrikaans?

The Afrikaans word for elephant is oeleboom. While this is a direct translation of the English word elephant, the Afrikaans pronunciation is quite different. The ‘l’ and ‘r’ sounds are both rolled in the Afrikaans tongue, so it sounds more like ‘ole-boh-oom’.

How do you say elephant in isiXhosa?

If you're wondering how to say elephant in isiXhosa, your best bet is to use the correct spelling: ‘lobi’. This word, derived from the Sanskrit word for elephant, is pronounced lo-bee. The word is very rarely used in conversation, but those who speak it may be aware of how to spell it.

How do you say elephant in Afrikaans slang?

Just like English, there are different ways to say “elephant” in Afrikaans slang. One of the most common is “elfant”. There are no silent letters in the word, so it can be pronounced either as “ell-fahn” or “el-fahn” depending on the dialect.

How do you say elephant in South Africa?

Elephas is the word for the elephant in Afrikaans. A South African English equivalent would be ‘tigre’, a name for the elephant most of us learn in school, which was once used in South Africa to describe the white man. It’s a derogatory term now, but it’s one that’s still used.