# Zulu

/ˈzuˌɫu/ (US) · CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/zulu
Updated: 2026-05-07

## Definition

a member of a large ethnic group from South Africa, or the language they speak. It is also used in the international radio alphabet to represent the letter Z.

For teachers: a member of a Nguni-speaking people of South Africa; also refers to the Southern Bantu language spoken by this group. In the NATO phonetic alphabet, it represents the letter Z and is used to denote UTC time in military and aviation contexts.

## Examples

- He is learning to speak Zulu before his trip to Durban.
- The pilot confirmed the departure time as 14:00 Zulu to avoid any confusion with local time zones.
- The Zulu kingdom rose to prominence in the early nineteenth century under the leadership of Shaka, whose military innovations fundamentally reshaped the sociopolitical landscape of Southern Africa.

## Usage notes

- Uncountable when referring to the language; countable when referring to individual people. When used for time, it is often placed after the numerals without a space.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.