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Oli otya! · How are you!

Learn Luganda
to the beat of the drum.

Short, playful lessons, games and real Luganda voices, for children, grown-ups and whole families, at home or abroad. No sign-up needed to start.

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Oli otya? Bulungi Gyendi Ki kati? Webale Webale nnyo

Tap Ngoma: every beat is a new greeting.

Many children in Kampala and around the world grow up hearing Luganda at home, but never learn to speak it. A language lives when the next generation can reach it, and money should never stand in the way.

That's why this app is free: every lesson, game and recording, for anyone who wants Luganda.

Kato James Kalemba
Kato James Kalemba.

Try it now

Listen in. Then answer.

Mukasa and Nakato meet and greet each other. Watch the conversation, then tell us what one of them said. Get them right in a row and the amadinda sings along.

Your journey

From the home compound to the lake.

7 stages, each a place in Ganda life. Finish a step to earn a star, and Ngoma waits on your next one.

  1. 🏡 Stage 1 Ewaka At home
  2. 🍌 Stage 2 Mu ffumbiro In the kitchen
  3. 🧺 Stage 3 Mu katale At the market
  4. 🛵 Stage 4 Mu kibuga In town
  5. 📚 Stage 5 Ku ssomero At school
  6. 🥁 Stage 6 Mu mikolo At ceremonies
  7. 🌊 Stage 7 Ku nnyanja At the lake

Sounds you'll hear

Drums, strings and a xylophone answer every tap.

Every sound in the app is a Kiganda instrument. Tap one to hear it play, and tap it again to stop.

Learn a phrase. Hear it. Say it. Keep it.

🥁

Follow the path

Short lessons in a clear order, from your first greeting to real conversations.

👂

Hear real Luganda

Phrases recorded by native speakers, with a slow replay when you need it.

🎙️

Say it yourself

Record your voice and play it beside the native speaker. No scores, no pressure.

🎮

Keep it with games

Memory match and the talking drum, built from the lessons you have finished.

🔁

Never forget

Review brings back each phrase just before you would forget it.

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Look up any word

A Luganda dictionary with proverbs (engero) and a word of the day.

Olugero · Proverb

“Akwata empola atuuka wala”

One who goes slowly reaches far.

Kato James Kalemba

Who is behind this

Made by Kato James Kalemba.

Kato James is a software developer and ICT teacher from Kyotera, Uganda. He builds the business systems and websites that people use every day.

He built this app so that anyone, at home in Buganda or far away, can learn Luganda a few minutes a day, and share it with their family.

The Luganda is checked by native speakers as the course grows: until a phrase has been checked, it carries a “Draft” label.

Meet Kato James ↗ His YouTube channel ↗

Tugende! Let's go.

Your first phrase takes two minutes. Create an account later to keep your progress on every device.

Start learning →