Vehicles

18 phrases · Wolof with romanization, English and audio

  1. Oto

    Car

    Usage

    From French "auto" — any car

  2. Taksi

    Taxi

    Usage

    The yellow Dakar taxis — meters go unused, so agree the fare first

  3. Kaar

    Bus / coach

    Usage

    From French "car" — the intercity coaches

  4. Car rapide

    Car rapide (blue-and-yellow minibus)

    Usage

    The blue-and-yellow minibus that symbolised Dakar — not actually rapid. The conductor bangs the body to signal

  5. Ndiaga Ndiaye

    Ndiaga Ndiaye (white minibus)

    Usage

    The white mid-size minibus, named after the transporter who first brought them in — mostly intercity

  6. Tata

    Tata (blue city bus)

    Usage

    The blue city buses of Dakar, named after their Indian maker Tata — you pay on boarding

  7. Dakar Dem Dikk

    Dakar Dem Dikk (public bus)

    Usage

    The public bus company — Wolof for "Dakar, go and return". Fixed routes and stops make it the easy option

  8. Sept-places

    Sept-places (seven-seat bush taxi)

    Usage

    The intercity shared taxi — an old seven-seat Peugeot that leaves once full. This is the usual Senegalese name

  9. Taxi-brousse

    Taxi-brousse (bush taxi)

    Usage

    The general West African term for a rural shared vehicle — in Senegal "sept-places" is more usual

  10. TER

    TER (Dakar regional express train)

    Usage

    The regional express linking central Dakar with Diamniadio out towards the new airport — it beats the traffic

  11. Moto Jakarta

    Jakarta (motorcycle taxi)

    Usage

    The motorcycle taxi of regional towns, nicknamed "Jakarta" after the cheap Asian bikes used — not seen in central Dakar

  12. Moto

    Motorcycle

    Usage

    The machine itself — the taxi service is "moto Jakarta"

  13. Welo

    Bicycle

    Usage

    From French "vélo"

  14. Sarret

    Sarret (horse cart)

    Usage

    From French "charrette" — the horse or donkey cart still working in villages and town outskirts

  15. Gaal

    Pirogue (wooden boat)

    Usage

    The brightly painted wooden fishing boat lining the beaches at Saint-Louis and Joal — also used as a ferry

  16. Chaloupe

    Chaloupe (Gorée ferry)

    Usage

    The scheduled boat from Dakar port to Gorée Island — nearly every visitor takes it once

  17. Awiyoŋ

    Airplane

    Usage

    From French "avion" — it ends in ŋ (U+014B), a different letter from ñ

  18. Kamiyoŋ

    Truck

    Usage

    From French "camion" — it ends in ŋ (U+014B)

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