adjectivebasicLetter D

English to Somali dictionary

different in Somali

Not the same as another

Page type: Learning page
Review: Source reviewed

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Reviewed August 18, 2026Review record: Codex source audit

This entry has been checked against the references below, but a named Somali reviewer has not yet certified its dialect, register, and natural usage. Verify important communication with a qualified speaker.

Translation

Somali meanings

kala duwan[1][2][3]

Not the same as another

Useful combinations

Common phrases with different

different food

cunto kala duwan[1][2][4]

different ways

siyaabo kala duwan[4]

different names

magacyada kala duwan[4]

Real usage

Example sentences

Each person is different.

general comparison

Qof walba wuu kala duwan yahay.[1][2][3]

In the homes we eat different kinds of food.

textbook food example

Guryaha waxa aynu ku cunnaa cunto kala duwan.[4]

We use water in different ways.

textbook manner example

Biyaha waxa aynu u isticmaalnaa siyaabo kala duwan.[4]

Grammar

Grammar notes

Kala duwan follows the noun it describes

Kala duwan is the checked Somali equivalent for different. In textbook examples it appears after the noun phrase, as in cunto kala duwan and siyaabo kala duwan.[1][2][3][4]

Questions

Questions about different in Somali

How do you say different in Somali?

Different is kala duwan in Somali. Common learner phrases include cunto kala duwan for different food and siyaabo kala duwan for different ways.

Evidence

References checked

[1] English-Somali Bilingual Dictionary (NSW Department of Education)
Checked different and dhaqammada kala duwan, plus person as qof, food as cunto, water as biyo, and same as isku mid ah.
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[2] OpenTran English-Somali Dictionary PDF
Checked different as kala duwan, variation/difference forms as kala duwanaansho, people/person terms, food as cunto, and same as isku mid ah.
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[3] OpenTran Somali-English Dictionary PDF
Checked duwan as different and duwanaa as was different.
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[4] Learner's Somali Grammar (Morgan Nilsson, University of Gothenburg)
Checked textbook examples cunto kala duwan, siyaabo kala duwan, magacyada kala duwan, and the grammar explanation that kala carries the sense apart while kala duwan means different from each other.
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