Sesotho Education Word List
This is a list of Sesotho education related terms used in South African policy documents and the education sector. Note that in some cases more than one synonym is listed as they are used in the various sources. As with other lists on this website we are attempting to list some of the already published and used terminology to aid some sense of cohesion in the way documents are translated and terms are used.
Visitors to this page are encouraged to send corrections or any other terms that can be added to the list to the e-mail address listed at the bottom of this page.
Curiously words for the same concepts are different in the National Curriculum Statements (cited below the table) for the GET and FET band (for example: 'okola' and 'sekima' for skim and 'sekena' and 'tlodisa' for scan). Furthermore inconsistencies even exist in the spelling of words such as 'khomputa' and 'khomputara' for computer and that is within a single document!
| Act | Molao |
| adequate | phihlello e lekaneng |
| Afrikaans (language/culture) | Seafrekanse |
| alliteration | alethereishene |
| alliteration | didumammoho |
| applied competence | tshebediso ya bokgoni |
| Arts and Culture | Bonono le Botjhaba |
| ask | botsa |
| assessment | tekanyetso |
| Assessment Standards (AS) | Maemo a Tekanyetso (MT) |
| assonance | asonense |
| assonance | didumannotshi |
| autobiography | ngolophelo ya mong ka boyena |
| autobiography | othobayokerafi |
| band | bente |
| band | mokgahlelo |
| baseline assessment | tekanyetso ya motheo |
| be educated | rutehile |
| become educated | ruteha |
| biography | bayokerafi |
| biography | ngolophelo ya mong ka e mong |
| book | buka (pl. dibuka) |
| brochures | dibroushara |
| Business, Commerce, Management and Service Studies | Kgwebo, Tsamaiso le Dithuto tsa Ditshebeletso |
| cartoons | dikhatunu |
| certificate | setefikeiti |
| charts | ditjhate |
| checklists | lenanenetefatso |
| class room | phaposi (pl. diphaposi) |
| code | kgato (pl. dikgato) |
| coherence | kgokahanyo |
| cohesion | momahano |
| comic strips | dikhomiki |
| competence descriptions | ditlhaloso tsa bokgoni |
| complex | polelomararane |
| compound sentence | polelokopane |
| Constitution | Molaotheo |
| content | dikahare |
| Continuous Assessment (CASS) | Tekanyetso e Tswellang (TT) |
| converse | qoqa |
| credibility | kamohelo |
| curriculum | kharikhulamo (pl. dikharikhulamo) |
| definition | tlhaloso |
| Department of Education | Lefapha la Thuto |
| describe | hlalosa |
| description of competence | ditlhaloso tsa bokgoni |
| diagnostic assessment | tekanyetso e ribollang ditshita tsa ho ithuta |
| diagrams | didayakeramo |
| dialogue | puisano |
| diary | bukatsatsi |
| diary | dayari |
| dictionary | bukantswe (pl. dibukantswe) |
| discuss | buisana |
| document | tokomane (pl. ditokomane) |
| drama | terama (pl. diterama) |
| educate | ruta |
| education | thuto |
| efficiency | phethahatso |
| electronic media | disebediswa tsa eletoroniki |
| e-mail messages | melaetsa ya e-meili |
| encyclopaedias | diensaetlelophedia |
| English (language/culture) | Senyesemane |
| essay | moqoqo (pl. meqoqo) |
| experiment | teko (pl. diteko) |
| explain | hlalosa |
| fax | fekese (pl. difekese) |
| film study | ho ithuta ka difilimi |
| First Additional Language | Puo ya Tlatsetso ya Pele |
| flowcharts | tjhate e supang tatellano ya diketsahalo |
| folklore | dingolwa tsa seholoholo |
| formative assessment | tekanyetso e ahang moithuti |
| French (language/culture) | Sefora |
| Further Education and Training (FET) | Thuto le Thupello e Tswellang (TTT) |
| General Education and Training (GET) | Thuto le Thupello e Akaretsang (TTA) |
| German (language/culture) | Sejeremane |
| grade | kereiti (pl. dikereiti) |
| graphs | dikerafo |
| Greek (language/culture) | Segerike |
| group assessment | tekanyetso ya dihlotshwana |
| high knowledge | tsebo e maemong a hodimo |
| high skills | bokgoni bo maemong a hodimo |
| home language | puo ya lapeng |
| Human and Social Sciences and Languages | Botho le Mahlale a Phedisano le Dipuo |
| human dignity | siriti sa botho |
| human rights | ditokelo tsa botho |
| idiomatic expression | sekapolelo (pl. dikapolelo) |
| images | ditshwantsho |
| inadequate | phihlello e haellang |
| inclusivity | kenyeletso ya bohle |
| Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) | Tsebo ya Selehae le Mahlale a Kgale (TSMK) |
| instruct | ruta |
| instruction | taelo (pl. ditaelo) |
| integration | nyalano |
| jargon | jakone |
| keywords | mantswe a sehlooho |
| language | puo (pl. dipuo) |
| language skills | bokgoni ba puo |
| Languages (Fundamentals) | Dipuo (Tse Tlamang) |
| learn | ithuta |
| learner | moithuti (pl. baithuti) |
| learner portfolio | porofaele ya moithuti |
| learner profile | porofaele ya moithuti |
| learning context | maemo a tse ithutwang |
| Learning Outcome (LO) | Sephetho sa ho ithuta (SI) |
| Learning Outcomes (LOs) | Diphetho tsa ho ithuta (DI) |
| learning programme | lenaneo la ho ithuta (pl. mananeo a ho ithuta) |
| letters | mangolo |
| level | kgato (pl. dikgato) |
| listening | ho mamela |
| literacy | litheresi |
| magazine articles | diatekele tsa dimakasineng |
| Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology | Tlhahiso, Boenjenere le Thekenoloji |
| marks | matshwao |
| memoranda | dimemorandamo |
| meritorious | phihlello e kgabane |
| methods of assessment | mekgwa ya ho etsa tekanyetso |
| methods of recording | mekgwa ya ho rekota |
| mind map | mmapa wa monahano |
| multilingualism | maleme a fapafapaneng |
| music | mmino |
| National Curriculum Statement (NCS) | Setatemente sa Kharikhulamo ya Naha (SKN) |
| National Qualifications Framework (NQF) | Moralo wa Mangolo a Thuto a Naha (MMTN) |
| Ndebele (language/culture) | Sendebele |
| newspaper articles | diatekele tsa dikoranteng |
| Northern Sotho (language/culture) | Sesotho sa Leboa |
| novel | nobele (pl. dinobele) |
| novel | pale (pl. dipale) |
| observation-based assessment | tekanyetso e itshetlehileng temohong |
| Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) | Thuto e theilweng Diphethong (TTD) |
| outstanding | phihlello e babatsehang |
| Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) | Lekgotla la Dipuo Tsohle la Aforika Borwa (LDTAB) |
| partial | phihlello eo e leng karolwana feela |
| peer assessment | tekanyetso e e tswang ke baithutimmoho |
| Physical, Mathematical, Computer, Life and Agricultural Sciences | Thuto tsa Mahlale, Dipalo, Khomputara, Tsa Bophelo le Tsa Temo |
| poetry | dithothokiso |
| policy | leano (pl. maano) |
| policy document | tokomane ya leano |
| portfolio | potefolio |
| portfolio | potefoliyo |
| posters | diphosetara |
| posters | diphousetara |
| presenting | ho nehelana |
| principal | mosuwehlooho |
| profile | porofaele |
| progression | kgatelopele |
| project | porejeke (pl. diporejeke) |
| purpose | maikemisetso |
| qualification | lengolo la thuto (pl. mangolo a thuto) |
| quality | boleng |
| rating code | dikgato |
| rating scales | dikala tsa ho lekanyetsa |
| reading | ho bala |
| recount | tshehetsa |
| register | rejistara |
| repetition | phetapheto |
| reviews | dintlha tsa boikgopotso |
| rhetorical question | potso ya retoriki |
| rubric | ruburiki (pl. diruburiki) |
| satisfactory | phihlello e kgotsofatsang |
| say | ere |
| scale | sekala |
| scan | sekena |
| scan | tlodisa |
| schedules | disekejule |
| school | sekolo (pl.dikolo) |
| science | saense |
| scope | tekanyo |
| Second Additional Language | Puo ya Tlatsetso ya Bobedi |
| self-assessment | tekanyetso ya boitekolo |
| Sesotho (language/culture) | Sesotho |
| short stories | dipale tse kgutshwane |
| Sign Language | Puo ya Matsoho |
| skim | okola |
| skim | sekima |
| slides | diselaete |
| social transformation | diphetho tsa phedisanong |
| sound | modumo |
| South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) | Lekgotla la tlhophiso ya Mangolo a Thuto la Aforika Borwa (LMTAB) |
| speak | bua |
| speaking | ho bua |
| study | ithuta |
| style | setaele |
| subject statement | setatemente sa thuto (pl. ditatemente tsa dithuto) |
| summarise | akaretsa |
| summative assessment | tekanyetso e etswang qetellong |
| Swati (language/culture) | Seswati |
| symbol | letshwao (pl. matshwao) |
| tables | mananetafole |
| talk | bua |
| task lists | mananeo a mesebetsi |
| task-based assessment | tekanyetso e itshetlehileng mesebetsing |
| teach | ruta |
| teacher | titjhere (pl. dititjhere) |
| teacher portfolio | porofaele ya titjhere |
| technology | thekenoloji |
| telegrams | dithelekeramo |
| television | televishene (pl. ditelevishene) |
| television | telebishene (pl. ditelebishene) |
| tell | bolela |
| term | kotara (pl. dikotara) |
| test | teko (pl. diteko) |
| test-based assessment | tekanyetso e itshetlehileng ditekong |
| text | tema (pl. ditema) |
| thesaurus | thesorase (pl. dithesorase) |
| tone | sehalo |
| transactional texts | ditema tsa kgokahano |
| Tsonga (language/culture) | Setsonga |
| Tswana (language/culture) | Setswana |
| understanding | kutlwisiso |
| Venda (language/culture) | Sevenda |
| video | vidio (pl. dividio) |
| visualise | bonahatsa |
| writing | ho ngola |
| Xhosa (language/culture) | Seqhosa |
| Zulu (language/culture) | Sezulu |
Sources consulted:
1) Setatemente sa Kharikhulamo ya Naha sa Dikereite tsa 10 – 12 (Tsela ya ho
Ithuta e Akaretsang). DIPUO : SESOTHO PUO YA LAPENG. © Lefapha la Thuto/Department
of Education, Pretoria. ISBN: 1-919975-42-X
2) Tlaleho E Lekotsweng Botjha Ya Kharikhulamo Ya Naha Bakeng Sa Dikereiti R - 9
(Dikolong). Dipuo Sesotho Puo Ya Lapeng/Hae. © 2002 Lefapha la Thuto. ISBN:
1-919917-08-X
3) Tlaleho e Lekotsweng Botjha ya KharikhulamoYa Naha ya Dihlopha/Dikereiti Tsa
R-9 (ya Dikolo). Tjhebokakaretso. © 2002. Lefapha la Thuto la Aforika Borwa.
ISBN: 1-919917-16-01
4) Bukantswe (electronic dictionary - http://sesotho.web.za/bukantswe/)
Sesotho.web.za
© J. Olivier
(2009)
