🇿🇼 Learn Shona for kids
Shona for children, the family way.
Zimbabwe's most widely spoken language — and the heart of Linguistic Quest.
Short puzzles. A few new words. Tap to hear them spoken. No streaks, no timers, no pressure. Just play, with a parent, carer or grandparent alongside.
No card needed · Free Shona Word Search included · Cancel any time
“Mhoro, muzukuru!”
Hello, grandchild!
About the language
Why Shona matters for the next generation.
Shona (chiShona) is a Bantu language spoken by roughly 14 million people, primarily across Zimbabwe, where it is one of the country's official languages alongside English and Ndebele. It has several closely related dialect clusters — Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Korekore and Ndau — which differ in pronunciation, vocabulary and rhythm but remain mutually intelligible. The standard written form taught in Zimbabwean schools is largely based on Zezuru.
Shona is a tonal language with a five-vowel system (a, e, i, o, u) and a rich set of noun classes, each of which changes the prefixes on adjectives, verbs and other agreeing words. For English-speaking learners this is the biggest adjustment — and one children pick up far more naturally than adults. Because Shona has almost perfectly phonetic spelling, once you know the alphabet you can read any word aloud correctly.
The language carries an enormous oral and literary tradition. From the proverbs (tsumo) passed around fires to the work of authors like Charles Mungoshi, Solomon Mutswairo and Chenjerai Hove, Shona is how Zimbabweans have long recorded their history, humour and philosophy. For diaspora families, keeping Shona alive at home is one of the most valuable gifts a parent or grandparent can give a child.
- Speakers
- Around 14 million first-language speakers
- Family
- Bantu (Niger–Congo family), Shona group
- Where it’s spoken
- Zimbabwe, parts of Mozambique, Zambia and Botswana, and diaspora communities in South Africa, the UK, and the US
First words
Six Shona words your child will meet on day one.
For parents & carers
How to learn Shona together at home.
Say greetings out loud, at normal speed, multiple times a day — Shona rewards rhythm.
Learn words in family groups (food, home, school) rather than in random lists.
Ask a grandparent or family friend to correct the voice when it sounds off — the app's AI helper is a starting point, not the final authority.
Celebrate small wins: one new word a day, every day, outperforms a weekend cram.
A note from us: Greetings in Shona are rarely one-liners — 'Mangwanani' (good morning) begins a longer back-and-forth about sleep, family, and the day ahead. Teaching children the full exchange, not just the first word, is how the culture of respect and connection gets passed along.
Six puzzle types
Word Search, Balloon Pop, Crossword, Word Scramble, Cryptogram and Missing Vowel — all themed by everyday family life.
Native-style audio
Tap any Shona word to hear it spoken aloud. Audio is generated with ElevenLabs and reviewed by native-speaker contributors.
A profile per child
Up to five child profiles on the Global plan. Siblings see each other’s points without sharing real names.
Built to ICO Children’s Code
No behavioural ads, no chat, no public profiles. Only a parent or carer can change the plan or add a child.
Family leaderboard
Parents on paid plans play and earn points too. It’s a shared game, not a race.
No streak pressure
Skip a week, skip a month — the puzzles wait for you. Heritage shouldn’t feel like homework.
Begin Shona together, today.
Free to start — no card needed. Add the first child profile when you’re ready, then invite a grandparent to play along.