Symbols shown in parentheses are those used in the orthography. The Gichugu switch easily to other Kikuyu dialects in conversation with the rest of the Kikuyu. The unmistakable tonal patterns of the Gichũgũ dialect (which sounds like Meru or Embu, sister languages to Kikuyu) can be heard in the coffee-growing areas of Kianyaga, Gĩthũre, Kathũngũri, Marigiti. The dialect is also prevalent in the rice growing area of Mwea. Lower down the slopes is Kutus, which is a bustling town with so many influences from the other dialects that it is difficult to distinguish between them.

Other home towns for the Ndia, where 'purer' forms of the dialect are spoken, are located in the tea-growing areas of Kagumo, Baricho, Kagio, and the Kangaita hills. To hear Ndia being spoken, one needs to be in Kerugoya, the largest town in Kirinyaga County. The Gicugus and the Ndias do not have the 'ch' or 'sh' sound, and will use the 's' sound instead, hence the pronunciation of 'Gĩcũgũ' as opposed to 'Gĩchũgũ'.

The Kikuyu from Kĩrĩnyaga are composed of two main sub-dialects – the Ndia and Gichugu who speak the dialects Kĩndia and Gĩgĩcũgũ. The Central Province districts are divided along the traditional boundaries of these dialects, which are Kĩrĩnyaga, Mũrang'a, Nyeri and Kiambu. Kikuyu has four main mutually intelligible dialects. The Kikuyu people usually identify their lands by the surrounding mountain ranges in Central Kenya which they call Kĩrĩnyaga. Kikuyu is mainly spoken in the area between Nyeri and Nairobi. Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gikuyu: Gĩkũyũ ) is a Bantu language spoken by the Gĩkũyũ ( Agĩkũyũ) of Kenya. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. This article contains IPA phonetic symbols.

Bwana asifiwe pronunciation