20 min•Noun Class 2: Trees & Things (Mu/Mi)

Mu/Mi Class - Trees & Natural Objects

Learning Objective

Master forming plurals for tree and object nouns using Mu/Mi pattern

Theory

The Mu/Mi class contains trees, plants, body parts, and natural objects (non-people). Same singular prefix as people (umu-/mu-) but different plural (imi-/mi-).

Formula:

umu-[root] → imi-[root] OR mu-[root] → mi-[root]

Key Rules:

Used for trees, plants, body parts, natural objects
NOT used for people (even though prefix looks the same)
Singular prefix: umu- or mu-
Plural prefix: imi- or mi-

Examples:

umukira → imikiratail → tails

umu + kira → imi + kira

mushaano → mishaanogame → games

mu + shaano → mi + shaano

umubiri → imibiribody → bodies

umu + biri → imi + biri

Practice Time!

Now that you've learned the theory, it's time to practice what you've learned using our interactive tools.

Complete Module