Addressing People Respectfully

Level 4

Call an older woman Maame and an older man Paapa or Agya: Maame, maakye (Good morning, madam).

How It Works

1. Words for elders and strangers

  • Maame (mother): an older woman, like madam.
  • Paapa (also written Papa) or Agya (father): an older man, like sir.
  • Nana: a grandparent, a chief or a queen mother, or any very old person.
  • Wɔfa (maternal uncle, often written Wofa): a man about your parents' age, a friendly word you might use with a driver or a trader.

2. Peers
For someone about your own age, me nua (my sibling) is friendly and polite: Me nua, worekɔ he? (Where are you going, my brother?)

3. Before a name
These words also go before a name: Maame Ama, Nana Kwame. The titles Owura (Mr, sir) and Awuraa (Miss, Madam) work the same way: Owura Mensah, Awuraa Adwoa. Chiefs and kings have their own royal titles.

4. Greeting a group
Add -nom to greet several elders. At a gathering, greet the men and the women separately, not with one word for everyone: Agyanom, me ma mo akye (Good morning, fathers), then Ɛnanom, me ma mo akye (Good morning, mothers).

5. What to avoid
Calling an older person Hei! or Wo! (You!), or using a bare first name, sounds rude. Save these for children and close friends.

Examples (6)

  1. Maame, maakye.

    Good morning, madam.

    Said to an older woman, whether or not you know her.

  2. Paapa, wo ho te sɛn?

    How are you, sir?

    Word by Word: father, your body is how

    Wo (you) stays the same; Paapa shows the respect.

  3. Nana, mepa wo kyɛw, tena ase.

    Please sit down, Nana.

  4. Wɔfa, mepa wo kyɛw, gyina ha.

    Please stop here, sir.

    Word by Word: uncle, please, stand here

    A friendly way to speak to an older taxi driver.

  5. Me nua, worekɔ he?

    Where are you going, my brother?

    Word by Word: my sibling, you are going where

    Me nua suits a peer of either sex.

  6. Agyanom, me ma mo akye.

    Good morning, fathers.

    Word by Word: fathers, I give you morning

    A formal greeting to the older men at a gathering.

Common Mistakes

  • Greeting an older stranger with Hei.

    Hei, maakye.
    Paapa, maakye.

    Hei is how you might call a child or a close friend, and to an elder it sounds rude. Twi has no polite you, so use a kin word such as Paapa or Maame instead.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Addressing People RespectfullyLevel 4

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

maamenanaowurapapa