Eyinfunjowo! 7 Yoruba Words To Use To Woo A Woman

Matters of the heart are complex, who can delve into it? Love is beautiful. Love is the most powerful force on earth, more powerful than money. Love intoxicates.

It can level mountains of difficulties. Love brings unspeakable joy and can undo a terrible wrong. No one is by any means immune to romantic expressions of love.

Context and relationship is everything in yoruba language. To compliment a woman in Yoruba is basically to say O ka re, meaning I compliment you, but usage can also be as an ironic statement – so be sure to add context. To do so by Adding another sentence to the first one thereby clarifying your intent by including an object into the conversation for example – “the task you completed was excellent” you say this after saying O ka re.

READ ALSO: 20 Mind Blowing Yoruba Cute Names To Call Your Lover
If you wish to compliment a lady’s appearance, its said in a completely different way – you express yourselves by focusing on the adjective or adverb. “your hair is beautiful” and stating that its your observation and extremely necessary so you say Erun e ma dara (the English word “fine” is acceptable instead of “dara” gh-u-n ni”.

Repetition is also important so repeat your statement a few times to emphasis your thoughtfulness, compliments are always expected and sought.

I hope this helps, if you watch nollywood on youtube it will help with how to say the “Oh” and the “Ah” its used in most speech. You have to be very mobile with your tongue, practice extending and retractibg will lightly pressing down on your lower lip – this will help with getting right sounds. Goodluck.

How to compliment someone in Yoruba Language

Complimenting someone in Yoruba depends on age, position and other factors. If a man wants to compliment his parents, he needs to postrate before singing their praise or greet them

READ ALSO: Throwback To #Famil2018: Inside Fatima Dangote & Jamil Abubakar Grand High Society Wedding – Full 8-Part Album
Incase of a lady or young girl. She needs to kneel down. So also high chiefs, elders, leaders and Kings, you either prostrate or kneel down when greeting these people with authority, be it political, religion or social status. We consider parents, chiefs, elders, kings and leaders as divinities or deities to be respected, treasured and honored.

Indeed, compliment to deities in Yorubaland follows a great deep respect.

Wooing a woman in Yoruba?

Complimenting a woman in Yoruba language must be accompanied with respect. Also the purpose of the compliment determines how to do it.

If you want to compliment someone that is older than you, you must demonstrate this by taking a bow, postrate (male) or kneel (female), it depends on the wideness in the age difference between you and the person.

After demonstrating that, your words of expression must also show respect using the word ‘’ẹ” which means ‘You’ (plural).

It is in the culture of the Yoruba that the younger is the one to compliment the older but modernisation has make it possible for the older to compliment the younger too but when doing so, all the signs of respect mentioned aboved are not observed by the older person or between peers.

READ ALSO: 99 Unique Onion Aso Ebi Style Colour Combinations For Nigerian Wedding

There are many ways to compliment your woman in Yoruba, but one sure fire way is by qualifying her physical beauty features with sweet words. I’ll just go ahead to drop a few that always readily come to mind. Before I proceed, however, please understand these adjectives are not in any way to objectify/ sexualize the woman.

Awelewa: a very beautiful/ pretty woman.

Aponbepore: a woman who is so fair-complexioned you can almost match that with palm-oil.

Eleyinjuege: our eyes speak volume when the heart is in love. It’s this idea the yorubas had in mind for this. Eyes/ eyeballs so bright they can brighten one’s day.

Eyinfunjowo: Generally used to complement a woman with a beautiful dentition.

Ibadi-Aran: a woman with a massive “behind”. I’m very certain there are several others or other ways but these are the ones I can right now come up with.

Arewa Obinrin to dara bi Egbin: meaning a beautiful woman who is as good looking as an Antelope (an Antelope is considered as a very beautiful animal in Yorubaland) .

If she is plainting her hair.

You can complement her by saying : “Eku Ewa”

But generally no speciality require you can easily say to all “Eku Ise” meaning Well done.

Photo Credit: Getty