Kigali
/kiˈɡɑː.li/noun
The capital and largest city of Rwanda.
Did you know?The name Kigali is commonly linked to the Kinyarwanda phrase that refers to the city being spread across or associated with a hill, reflecting how many African place-names are rooted in landscape, not conquest.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial era
Kinyarwanda
Kigali
“A local place-name in the region that later became the capital city”
19th Century
Kinyarwanda
Kigali
“Name of the hill and surrounding area associated with the settlement”
1890s
German
Kigali
“Recorded by European colonial administrators as a geographic name”
20th Century
English
Kigali
“Used internationally as the name of Rwanda's capital city”