kwela

K5W4E1L1A1

noun

A style of music, first played in the townships, whose principal instrument is the penny whistle.

OriginZulu khwéla →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounkwela (uncountable)
  1. South AfricauncountableentertainmentA style of music, first played in the townships, whose principal instrument is the penny whistle.

Origin

  1. Zulukhwéla
  2. Zulukhwéla
  3. Englishkwela

From Zulu -khwéla (“get up”).

More words from Zulu

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

walkeWalek
Cite this entry
APA

kwela. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kwela

MLA

“kwela.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kwela. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kwela,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kwela.

Source: kwela on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.