// a free, non-profit language archive
Woeji shikaa shi
woye Ga.
Speak it well, but we are Ga. Authentic Ga documents the language as it is actually spoken — by native speakers, for everyone who wants to learn.
- 100+unique phrases
- 2,000+dictionary words
- hundredsnative recordings
- ∞free, always
// the story
Why this archive exists
Authentic Ga began with a simple frustration. I'm a UK-born learner of Ga — the language of the Ga people of Accra, Ghana — and I kept hitting the same wall: there was almost nothing out there that taught the language the way it's actually spoken. Textbooks gave me grammar tables. Nobody gave me the sound of a grandmother correcting your tone on the word for water.
So I started recording. Family first — my own relatives, patient and generous with their voices. Then friends of the family, then community members across Accra and the diaspora. Every recording is made with a native speaker, checked by a native speaker, and shared free. This is not a classroom Ga. This is Ga as it lives in kitchens, markets, funerals, and greetings on the street.
The archive is non-profit and always will be. We document authentic spoken Ga so that heritage learners in London, Accra, and everywhere else can hear their language — and so that the language itself keeps a living record for the generations coming after us.
— Borteley, founder & lead learner
// phrase of the day
Mii shikaa
/miː ʃiˈkaː/
"I am well." — the standard reply to Te oyɔɔ tɛŋŋ? (How are you?)
Mii is the progressive prefix (I am …-ing). Shikaa means well/fine. Together: "I am being well." Tone matters — a flat shikaa reads as a genuine reply; a dropped tone can sound dismissive. Listen to the recording twice, once at full speed and once at half.
// the dictionary
Search 2,000+ words
Type to filter in real time. Every entry carries a native recording, a phonetic guide, and a tag so you can browse by theme.
- Te oyɔɔ tɛŋŋ?/te oˈjɔː tɛŋŋ/How are you?greetings
- Mii shikaa/miː ʃiˈkaː/I am wellgreetings
- Nye/ɲe/motherfamily
- Tsɛ/tʃɛ/fatherfamily
- Nyɛmimɛi/ɲɛmiˈmɛi/siblingsfamily
- Nuu/nuː/waterfood
- Kenkey/ˈkɛŋke/steamed corn dough, a Ga staplefood
- Shito/ˈʃito/spicy black pepper saucefood
- Kɛjɛ biɛ/kɛdʒɛ biˈɛ/come heredirections
- Ya kɛ̃/ja kɛ̃/go theredirections
- Mii-/miː/progressive prefix (I am …-ing)grammar
- -mɛi/mɛi/plural suffix (people)grammar
No matches — try a different word, or suggest an entry.
// learn
Practice tools
Flashcards
Review daily phrases and dictionary entries as a deck. Your progress is saved in your browser, so your streak follows you between visits.
start a deckListen & match
Hear a native recording, then pick the meaning from four options. Built for active listening — the fastest way to train your ear to Ga tones.
take a quizOffline resources
Downloadable PDF phrase sheets and printable worksheets, plus audio collections for study away from a connection.
download resources// community
Add your voice
Authentic Ga is built by its community. If you're a native speaker or a heritage learner, your voice belongs in the archive.
Submit a phrase or recording
Prefer the full form? Open the Google Form — or email us directly at hello@authenticga.co.uk.
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