31 Fruits and their names in Hausa

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  • Post last modified:November 21, 2022

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The 21st century sometimes referred to as the information age has made us more conscious of what we are eating and what our body needs to be healthy.

This is because we are living in ironic times where some “foods” have basically become poisons because they cause more harm than good in the body.

At the center of all this introspection is the continuous reminder of the importance of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

People are now adapting their diet to resemble the way past societies were eating centuries ago because we can now see the harm of all these processed and manufactured foods on our bodies.

We have a post on identifying foods of West-Africa of African such as vegetables, spices and grains and tubers. These posts try to list the food varieties and options that are available (We don’t realise the variety of foods we have). 

Fruits are now beyond just an accompaniment to foodst or a snack for the day. They are now a whole lifestyle to some, a complete diet by themselves that is sometimes used to treat various illnesses and improve balance in the body.

We will be focusing on the fruits that are grown in west Africa and I am sure there are more which is why I will be updating the list constantly with more fruits and languages.

You are welcome to subscribe to the channel if you want to receive email notification on the updates when they are available. I will not be referring to fruits that are imported from other countries and I am sure you will find that information elsewhere on the internet.

So without further ado, let us begin:

Common Fruits

Kankana in English

English Name:  Watermelon

Botanical Name: Citrullus lanatus

Hausa Name: Kankana

Ayaba in English

English Name:  Banana

Botanical Name: Musa acuminata

Hausa Name: Ayaba

Abarba In English

English Name:  Pineapple

Botanical Name: Ananas comosus

Hausa Name: Abarba

Gwanda in English

English Name: Pawpaw, papaya

Botanical Name: Carica papaya

Hausa Name: Gwanda

Lemun zaki in english

English Name:  Sweet Orange, orange

Botanical Name: Citrus sinensis

Hausa Name: Lemun Zaki, Lemu

Mangoro in english

English Name:  Mango

Botanical Name: Irvingia gabonensis

Hausa Name: Mangwaro/mangoro

goba in english

English Name:  Guava

Botanical Name: Psidium guajava

Hausa Name: Goba

Dabino in english

English Name:  Dates

Botanical Name: Phoenix dactylifera

Hausa Name: Dabino

Lemun tsami in english

English Name:  Lemon

Botanical Name: Citrus x Limon

Hausa Name: lemun tsami

English Name:  Lime

Botanical Name: Citrus × aurantiifolia

Hausa Name: Lemun Tsami

These common fruits as listed above can be found in the local market almost all year round and are known to the general public.

You may even know many of the benefits and nutritional profiles of these fruits and how to eat them. There is so much you can do with this limited selection of fruits because they can be bought almost at any time of the year.

The only difference is that they may be more expensive depending on the season.

Beyond just eating them as fruits, you can eat them in various ways such as baking, drinks, and smoothies and also taking them as a home remedy for minor health issues such as fatigue, flu, dehydration, constipation etc.

The internet is the best resource for finding creative and unknown uses of various things including fruits so with this information, challenge yourself to do something different with them.

Seasonal/Exotic Fruits

Baure in english

English Name: Fig

Botanical Name: Ficus Cyathistipula

Hausa Name: Baure

Gwandar daji in english

English Name:  Soursop, Guanabana, Brazilian pawpaw etc.

Botanical Name: Annona muricata

Hausa Name:     Gwandar Daji

AGWALUMA in english

English Name:  African star Apple

Botanical Name: Chrysophyllum albidum

Hausa Name: Agwaluma

rake in engish

English Name:  Sugar Cane

Botanical Name: Saccharum officinarum

Hausa Name: Rake

shamman in english

English Name:  Melon (there are many varieties)

Botanical Name: Cucumis melo

Hausa Name: Shamman

taura in english

English Name:  Sweet detar

Botanical Name: Detarium senegalense

Hausa Name: Taura

Magarya in english

English Name:  Jujube red date, ber, chinese date etc.

Botanical Name: Ziziphus jujuba

Hausa Name: Magarya

Dinya in english

English Name:  African Black plum

Botanical Name: Vitex Doniana

Hausa Name: Dinya

giginya in english

English Name:  Deleb Palm

Botanical Name: Borassus sambiranensis

Hausa Name: Giginya

fiya in english

English Name:  Avocado

Botanical Name: Persea americana

Hausa Name: Fiya

pasadabur in english

English Name:  Sugar apple, custard apple, cherimoya etc.

Botanical Name: Annona reticulata

Hausa Name: Pasadabur

tsaiyar biri in english

English Name:  Velvet Tamarind, African velevet tamarind, Black velvet tamarind etc.

Botanical Name: Dialium guineense

Hausa Name: Tsamiyar biri

goruba in english

English Name:  Doum Palm

Botanical Name: Hyphaene thebaica

Hausa Name: Goruba

dorawa in english

English Name: African Locust Bean

Botanical Name: Parkia biglobosa

Hausa Name: Dorawa

kwalaba da nono in english

English Name:  Baobab, tree of life etc.

Botanical Name: Adansonia Digitata

Hausa Name: Kuka

aduwa in english

English Name: Egyptian Balsam, desert date

Scientific Name: Balanites aegyptiaca

Hausa Name: Aduwa

kanya in english

English Name:  Jackalberry, African Ebony

Botanical Name: Diospyros mespiliformis

Hausa Name: Kanya

Malmo in english

English Name: black plum, malabar plum, woodland water berry, Jamun,

Botanical Name: Syzygium guineense

Hausa Name: Malmo

Kadanya in english

English Name: Mongongo, Manketti

Botanical Name: Schinziophyton rautanenii

Hausa Name: Kadanya

tsamiya in english

English Name: Tamarind

Botanical Name: Tamarindus indica

Hausa Name: Tsamiya

Most of us are familiar with the long one-year waiting period between seasons before we can enjoy a seasonal fruit once more. some of these seasonal fruits are not found or sold commonly in the general local market you have to find out the little corners of the neighbourhood market that sell them.

Figs, African velvet tamarind, cashew, melon, sugar cane, and passion fruit can be readily found in many seasons of the year. They usually come in a variety of colors and sizes.  The others such as African star Apple, sweet detar, and Avocados are usually consistently available for shorter periods. 

The recipes for these fruits require a little more creativity because many of them are unknown to the typical internet users.

So it is time to get to work and let me know in the comments below if you have a recipe or a special way of preparing any of these fruits so that we can learn from you.

Conclusion

I hope this small list of fruits have reminded you of the many more option we have for fruits in Africa beyond just the typical banana and oranges and the occasional pawpaw and watermelon that we think of when we go fruit shopping.

Some of these fruits can just be enjoyed as a snack and some of them due to their high fiber will make you feel full after taking them such as soursop.

If you do know of other common fruits in west Africa, let me know in the comments below. Questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome and if you know more, please share it with us so that we can all learn.

Thank you for reading till the end and until I see you next, stay safe!

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Hirtley

I absolutely believe that good food, good habits & lifestyle, and natural healing are the key to being healthy both mentally and physically.

This Post Has 11 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Babakura Modu

    Very impressive ????

  2. Avatar
    Adam Kano First

    Very interest page, Awesome u deserve 5stars well done

  3. Avatar
    Blessing Simon

    Please can I get the Hausa name for Aidan fruit?

  4. Avatar
    Blessing Simon

    Thank you for this, I actually have been searching for some of this names.

  5. Avatar
    Pastor Landi David

    Thanks a lots. This is the first time I came across such list of fruits and their names in hausa.

  6. Avatar
    Babakura Modu

    This is amazing . Because, I only see them and know with the local name even though I know some of them.
    Thank you very much and I also want to start a YouTube channel and may you can allow me to use some of your pictures.

    1. Hattyo
      Hattyo

      Hello. I am glad you liked this compilation. Feel free to use of these pictures as they do not belong to me but I also sourced them from the internet. You can also find similar pictures on the internet. Best of luck

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