Learn Mina: The Complete Guide

Mina is the language of the Togolese coast. Born in Aného from a remarkable story of migration, it has become one of the great vehicular languages of Lomé, alongside Ewe, and is spoken along the coastline as far as Grand-Popo, in Benin. Learning Mina means entering the Gbe world, this family of sister languages linking Togo, Benin and Ghana, and speaking the language of the markets and families of the Gulf of Guinea.

Mina in numbers

Mina, which its speakers also call Gen or Gɛn, belongs to the Gbe group of the Kwa family (Niger-Congo), the same cluster as Ewe and Fon. There are several hundred thousand native speakers in Togo and Benin, plus all those who use it as the language of trade and city life in Lomé and along the coast.

The heart of Mina country lies around Aného and Glidji, on the south-eastern coast of Togo, and extends into Benin around Grand-Popo. In Lomé, Mina serves as the vehicular language of daily life: it is often the first African language a visitor hears on arriving in the Togolese capital.

Origins and history

The history of Mina begins with a migration. At the end of the 17th century, groups from present-day Ghana, from the region of Elmina and Accra, fled the conflicts of the Gold Coast and settled on the coastline of present-day Togo, where they founded Aného and Glidji. The name "Mina", given to this people and their language, is said to come from the city of Elmina: a widely accepted etymology, even if the details of these migrations are still debated by historians.

Settling among Gbe-speaking populations, the newcomers adopted a language of the land while giving it an identity of its own. Aného became one of the great trading ports of the coast, and Mina spread along the coastline as the language of exchange, a role it still plays today in the markets of Lomé.

What makes Mina distinctive

A tonal language

Like the other Gbe languages, Mina is tonal: the pitch of the voice distinguishes words that are otherwise identical. The ear gets used to it gradually, especially with learning based on audio from native speakers.

A member of the Gbe continuum

Mina is very close to Ewe, to the point of sharing entire greetings with it: Ŋdi to say hello, Akpe to say thank you. This is not a mistake, it is a shared Gbe heritage. Whoever learns Mina already understands much of Ewe, and finds familiar landmarks even in the Fon spoken in Benin.

Sounds specific to the Gbe languages

Mina uses vowels that French and English do not have, such as the open ɛ and ɔ, as well as consonants characteristic of the region, like the ŋ heard at the start of Ŋdi. Its grammar is regular: the verb is not conjugated, person and tense are carried by pronouns and particles.

Essential words and phrases

Here are some fundamental expressions to start communicating in Mina:

• Ŋdi : Hello
• Fiɛ : Good evening
• Akpe : Thank you
• Babayi : Goodbye
• Enɔ : Mother
• Nɔvi ŋutsu : Brother

You may recognise Ŋdi and Akpe if you have already come across Ewe: the two languages share these words, a living trace of their Gbe kinship.

Why learn Mina?

Reconnecting with your Togolese or Beninese roots

For the diaspora from the Togolese coast or Grand-Popo, Mina is the language of grandparents, of ceremonies in Aného or Glidji, of family reunions. Many children born in Europe understand it without daring to speak it: taking the plunge changes the place you hold in the family.

The language of the markets of Lomé

In Lomé, Mina is the language of the street and of commerce. At the grand market, in the taxis, in the shops, a few words of Mina immediately transform the welcome. French remains the official language, but it is in Mina that the city lives its daily life.

A gateway to the whole Gbe world

Thanks to its kinship with Ewe and Fon, Mina gives you landmarks across the whole Gbe space, from Ghana to Benin. It is a linguistic investment that pays off well beyond the Togolese coast: a greeting learned in Aného will be understood far and wide.

How to learn Mina effectively

Mina is learned first by ear: the tones and open vowels cannot be picked up from books or writing alone. Repeated listening to native speakers, repeating out loud and practising everyday phrases remain the most effective method.

Consistency matters more than intensity: a few minutes a day are worth more than one long weekly session. To discover other languages to learn, check our guide to the most spoken languages in Africa or explore the reasons to learn an African language.