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UnisexSouthern African (Shona, Sotho, Tswana and others)

Mapenzi

Chitonga for hardship or trouble, marking real difficulty around a child's birth.

Meaning and origin

Mapenzi names a birth that came with genuine difficulty for the family, following the Tonga habit of drawing names from hard circumstances just as readily as happy ones.

How to pronounce Mapenzi

English (US)mah-PEN-zee /maˈpɛnzi/

About this entry

Drafted with the help of an AI model, then checked by a person. Last checked on 16 September 2026.

The sources behind this entry are listed in the app.