"Kilomode Mo" in Yoruba: Meaning & Usage

"Kílọ̀ mọ̀ dé?" (often written phonetically as "Kilomode mo") is a Yoruba (Nigeria) greeting meaning:

• "How are you?"
• "What's up?"
• "How do you do?"

Breakdown

• Kí – "What/How"
• lọ̀ – "is it going"
• mọ̀ – "I know/understand" (here, "you")
• dé – "arrive/reach"

Literally: "How has it reached you?" → "How are you faring?"

Usage

Informal, friendly. Used among peers, friends, family. Response: "Ṣé daadaá" (It's fine/okay) or "Mọ̀ wá" (I'm here/present).

Yoruba is spoken by ~45M people in SW Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and diaspora.