# zi-
## Northern Ndebele
### Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the prefix of class 10, it replaced the class 8 prefix as well.

### Prefix

zi-
* they; class 8 subject concord.
* them; class 8 object concord.
* they; class 10 subject concord.
* them; class 10 object concord.

## Southern Ndebele
### Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the prefix of class 10, it replaced the class 8 prefix as well.

### Prefix

zi-
* they; class 8 subject concord.
* them; class 8 object concord.
* they; class 10 subject concord.
* them; class 10 object concord.

## Swahili
### Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-.

### Prefix

zi-
* they; n class$_{(X)}$ subject concord
** 1973, Mohammed S. Abdulla, Duniani kuna watu, page 3:Taa zenye nuru kali, moja kwa juu mwisho wa ngazi, na moja kwa chini mwanzo wa ngazi zilimmulika Kasim Hakimu Marjani […]Lamps shining with an intense light, one on top at the end of the stairs and one below at the beginning of the stairs, illuminated Kasim Hakimu Marjani […]
* verb-initial form of -zi- (“them, n class$_{(X)}$ object concord”)

#### See also

| Class | Subject concord | Subject concord | Object concord | Relative |
| Class | affirmative | negative | Object concord | Relative |
| m$_{(I)}$ | a-, yu- | ha-, hayu- | -m-, -mw-, -mu- | -ye |
| wa$_{(II)}$ | wa- | hawa- | -wa- | -o |
| m$_{(III)}$ | u- | hau- | -u- | -o |
| mi$_{(IV)}$ | i- | hai- | -i- | -yo |
| ji$_{(V)}$ | li- | hali- | -li- | -lo |
| ma$_{(VI)}$ | ya- | haya- | -ya- | -yo |
| ki$_{(VII)}$ | ki- | haki- | -ki- | -cho |
| vi$_{(VIII)}$ | vi- | havi- | -vi- | -vyo |
| n$_{(IX)}$ | i- | hai- | -i- | -yo |
| n$_{(X)}$ | zi- | hazi- | -zi- | -zo |
| u$_{(XI)}$ | u- | hau- | -u- | -o |
| ku$_{(XV/XVII)}$ | ku- | haku- | -ku- | -ko |
| pa$_{(XVI)}$ | pa- | hapa- | -pa- | -po |
| mu$_{(XVIII)}$ | m-, mw-, mu- | ham-, hamw-, hamu- | -mu- | -mo |
| For a full table including first and second person, see Appendix:Swahili personal pronouns. |||||

## Tooro
### Alternative forms

* (before vowels) z-

### Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /zi-/

### Prefix

zi-
* class 10 pronominal concord
    ‎zi- + ‎-nu (“this, these”) → ‎zinu (“these (class 10)”)
* they; class 10 subject concord
    ‎zi- + ‎-kora (“to do”) → ‎zikora (“they (class 10) do”)
* positive imperative form of -zi- (“them; class 10 object concord”)
    ‎zi- + ‎-ha (“to give”) → ‎ziha (“give them (class 10)”)

#### See also

| Class | Person | Independent | Possessive | Subject concord | Object concord | Combined forms | Combined forms |
| Class | Person | Independent | Possessive | Subject concord | Object concord | na | ni |
| Class 1 | First | nyowe, nye | -ange | n- | -n- | nanyowe, nanye | ninyowe, ninye |
| Class 1 | Second | iwe | -awe | o- | -ku- | naiwe | niiwe |
| Class 1 | Third | uwe | -e | a- | -mu- | nawe | nuwe |
| Class 2 | First | itwe | -aitu | tu- | -tu- | naitwe | niitwe |
| Class 2 | Second | inywe | -anyu | mu- | -ba- | nainywe | niinywe |
| Class 2 | Third | abo | -abo | ba- | -ba- | nabo | nubo |
| Class 3 | Class 3 | gwo | -agwo | gu- | -gu- | nagwo | nugwo |
| Class 4 | Class 4 | yo | -ayo | e- | -gi- | nayo | niyo |
| Class 5 | Class 5 | lyo | -alyo | li- | -li- | nalyo | niryo |
| Class 6 | Class 6 | go | -ago | ga- | -ga- | nago | nugo |
| Class 7 | Class 7 | kyo | -akyo | ki- | -ki- | nakyo | nikyo |
| Class 8 | Class 8 | byo | -abyo | bi- | -bi- | nabyo | nibyo |
| Class 9 | Class 9 | yo | -ayo | e- | -gi- | nayo | niyo |
| Class 10 | Class 10 | zo | -azo | zi- | -zi- | nazo | nizo |
| Class 11 | Class 11 | rwo | -arwo | ru- | -ru- | narwo | nurwo |
| Class 12 | Class 12 | ko | -ako | ka- | -ka- | nako | nuko |
| Class 13 | Class 13 | two | -atwo | tu- | -tu- | natwo | nutwo |
| Class 14 | Class 14 | bwo | -abwo | bu- | -bu- | nabwo | nubwo |
| Class 15 | Class 15 | kwo | -akwo | ku- | -ku- | nakwo | nukwo |
| Class 16 | Class 16 | ho | -aho | ha- | -ha- | naho | nuho |
| Class 17 | Class 17 | (kwo) | N/A | ha- (...-yo) | -ha- | N/A | nukwo |
| Class 18 | Class 18 | (mwo) | -amwo | ha- (...-mu) | -ha- | N/A | numwo |
| Reflexive | Reflexive | -enyini, -onyini | — | — | -e- | — | — |

### References

* Kaji, Shigeki (2007) A Rutooro Vocabulary‎, Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, page 414

## Xhosa
### Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the prefix of class 10, it replaced the class 8 prefix as well.

### Prefix

zi-
* they; class 8 subject concord.
* them; class 8 object concord.
* they; class 10 subject concord.
* them; class 10 object concord.

## Zulu
### Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the pronominal and verbal concord, it displaced the older Bantu noun prefix *bì-. The tone was lowered by analogy with other noun prefixes.

#### Prefix

zi-
* Class 8 simple noun prefix.
* Class 10 simple noun prefix, used when preceding a consonant n, m, or l.

### Etymology 2

From Proto-Bantu *jí-. Originally the prefix of class 10, it replaced the class 8 prefix as well.

#### Prefix

zí-
* they; class 8 subject concord.
* them; class 8 object concord.
* they; class 10 subject concord.
* them; class 10 object concord.

### References

* C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “zi-”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “zi-”