Mzungu (pronounced [m̩ˈzuŋɡu]) is the southern, central and eastern African term for a person of foreign descent. Literally translated it means "someone who roams around aimlessly" or "aimless wanderer". The term was first used by Africans to describe early European explorers. It is now commonly used in most Bantu languages of East, Central and Southern Africa, especially in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia.
In Swahili, the plural form of mzungu is wazungu.[1][2][3] The possessive kizungu (or chizungu) translated literally means "of the aimless wanderers". It has now come to mean "language of the aimless wanderers" and more commonly English, as it is the language most often used by Wazungu in East Africa. However it can be used generally for any European language. To distinguish between English and other European languages kiingereza in Swahili, chingeleshi in Bemba or lungereza in Ganda are used and are simply Africanized versions of the word English by epenthesis. Wachizungu, Bachizungu, etc. – literally "things of the aimless wanderers" – have come to mean the Western culture, cuisine and lifestyle.
Mzungu can also be used to describe an employer or the person who pays, regardless of gender or colour.[4]
The etymology of the word stems from a contraction of words meaning "one who wanders aimlessly" (from the Swahili words zungu, zunguzungu, zunguka, zungusha, mzungukaji, meaning to go round and round; from Ganda okuzunga which means to wander aimlessly) and was coined to describe European explorers, missionaries and slave traders who traveled through East African countries in the 18th century.
Mzungu is preferred because Central and East Africa people do not link people of European origin to the "white" color. This is because the concept of color coding ethnicities is not a part of their culture. Actually they consider people of European origin to be reddish or pinkish.[5][6] For instance in Kinyarwanda and Kirundi, European people are also known as rutuku which means red.
| Language | singular | plural | possessive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swahili in East Africa | Mzungu | Wazungu | Kizungu |
| Luganda in Uganda | Muzungu | Bazungu | Kizungu |
| Chichewa in Malawi | Muzungu | Azungu | Chizungu |
| Chinyanja in Zambia | Muzungu | Bazungu | Chizungu |
| Kinyarwanda in Rwanda / Kirundi in Burundi | Umuzungu | Abazungu | ikizungu |
| Bemba in Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo | Musungu | Basungu | Chisungu |
| Sena in Mozambique | Muzungu | Azungu | |
| Shona in Zimbabwe | Murungu | ||
| isiZulu in South Africa | Umlungu | Abelungu |
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