Bantu · Latin
SwahiliKiswahili
200M speakers · East Africa
250 terms
Hello
The famous Swahili greeting, especially used with visitors; locals often say hujambo.
How are you? (sing.)
A greeting asking are you well; the reply is sijambo, I am fine.
News; how are you?
Literally news; habari yako asks how you are, answered with nzuri.
Respectful greeting (to elders)
A respectful greeting to an elder; the reply is marahaba.
Reply to shikamoo
The elder's reply to the respectful greeting shikamoo.
Good morning
A morning greeting, literally news of the morning.
Good night
Said before going to bed, literally good night; often followed by lala salama, sleep safely.
Goodbye
The standard farewell; to several people, kwaherini.
See you later
A friendly farewell, literally we will see each other.
Thank you
The standard thanks; asante sana means thank you very much.
Welcome; you're welcome
Means welcome, come in, and you're welcome — the heart of East African hospitality.
Sorry; excuse me
An apology, also used to get someone's attention politely.
Sorry (sympathy)
An expression of sympathy for someone's trouble — uniquely Swahili; pole pole means slowly.
Yes
An affirmative answer.
No
A negative answer.
Fine; good
Good or fine; the standard reply to habari.
My name is
Used to introduce yourself by name.
Good luck
A wish for success, literally good fortune.
I don't understand
A useful phrase for learners when something is unclear.
One
The number one.
Two
The number two.
Three
The number three.
Four
The number four.
Five
The number five.
Six
The number six.
Seven
The number seven.
Eight
The number eight.
Nine
The number nine.
Ten
The number ten.
Hundred
The number one hundred.
Thousand
The number one thousand.
Today
The present day.
Tomorrow
The day after today.
Yesterday
The day before today.
Now
At the present moment; also a casual greeting among friends.
Hour; clock; watch
An hour or a clock; Swahili time starts counting at sunrise, six o'clock.
Minute
A period of sixty seconds.
Week
A period of seven days.
Year
A period of twelve months.
Family
A group of people related by blood or marriage.
Mother
A female parent; also a respectful address for women.
Father
A male parent; also a respectful address for men.
Brother
A brother; also a friendly address for a young man.
Sister
A sister; also a friendly address for a young woman.
Son; child
A son or child; appears in many words like mwanafunzi, student.
Daughter
A daughter or young woman.
Grandfather
The father of your parent.
Grandmother; lady
A grandmother; also means lady or wife in some regions.
Husband
The man a woman is married to.
Wife
The woman a man is married to.
Child
A young person; plural watoto.
Friend
A person you know well and like.
Man
An adult male person; plural wanaume.
Woman
An adult female person; plural wanawake.
Teacher
A person who teaches; a title of great respect in East Africa.
Student
A person who studies at school or university.
Neighbor
A person who lives next to or near you.
Water
The clear liquid essential for life.
Tea
Spiced milky tea, the daily drink of East Africa.
Coffee
Coffee; Kenya and Tanzania grow some of the world's best.
Bread
A staple food made from flour; chapati is a beloved flatbread.
Cooked rice
Cooked rice; wali wa nazi, coconut rice, is a coastal favorite.
Ugali (maize porridge)
The stiff maize porridge that is East Africa's true staple food.
Meat
The flesh of animals; nyama choma, grilled meat, is the weekend treat.
Chicken
A chicken, or chicken meat.
Fish
An animal that lives in water, eaten as food.
Egg
An egg laid by a hen; plural mayai.
Vegetables
Plants grown for food; sukuma wiki, collard greens, is the everyday side.
Fruit
Sweet plant foods; East Africa grows wonderful tropical fruit.
Mango
A sweet tropical fruit.
Milk
A white drink produced by cows; essential for chai.
Juice
A drink made from pressed fruit.
Sugar
A sweet substance added to food and drinks.
Salt
A white substance used to season food.
Breakfast
The first meal of the day, literally mouth-opener.
Lunch
The midday meal, literally food of the afternoon.
Dinner
The evening meal, literally food of the evening.
Airport
A place where airplanes take off and land, literally field of planes.
Airplane; bird
An airplane — and also a bird; one word for both flyers.
Train
A connected line of carriages; the SGR links Nairobi and Mombasa.
Station
A place where trains or buses stop for passengers.
Bus
A large road vehicle; basi also means well then in conversation.
Minibus (daladala)
The crowded, colorful minibus of Tanzania; Kenya's version is the matatu.
Taxi
A car you pay to be driven somewhere in; motorbike taxis are bodaboda.
Hotel; restaurant
A hotel; in East Africa, small local restaurants are also called hoteli.
Restaurant; café
A place where you pay to eat meals.
City
A large town; mji is a town of any size.
Village
A small settlement in the countryside.
Road; street
A road for vehicles and people.
Passport
An official document needed for traveling abroad.
Ticket
A piece of paper that allows you to travel or enter a place.
Map
A drawing showing streets, cities, or countries.
Bank
A place where people keep and borrow money; M-Pesa changed everything.
Market
A place where goods are sold; the open-air market is the heart of town.
Coast; beach
The coast; the Swahili coast gave the language its name.
Journey; trip
Any journey — the Swahili word that the whole world borrowed.
Sun
The star that gives Earth light and warmth; also the verb to know.
Moon; month
The moon in the night sky; the same word means month.
Star
A point of light in the night sky.
Sky
The space above the earth where clouds and stars appear.
Sea; ocean
The large body of salt water; the Indian Ocean borders the Swahili coast.
River; pillow
A large stream of water; oddly, the same word means pillow.
Mountain
A very high hill; Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest peak.
Forest
A large area covered with trees.
Tree
A tall plant with a trunk; the baobab is the iconic African tree.
Flower
The colorful blossom of a plant; plural maua.
Rain
Water that falls from clouds; the long rains come in March to May.
Snow
Soft white frozen water; it crowns Kilimanjaro's peak.
Wind
Moving air that you can feel.
Weather
The condition of the air, literally state of the air.
Animal
A living creature; East Africa's wildlife is world-famous.
Lion
The king of the savanna and an East African icon.
Body
The whole physical structure of a person.
Head
The top part of the body containing the brain and face.
Eye
The part of the body used for seeing; plural macho.
Ear
The part of the body used for hearing; plural masikio.
Nose
The part of the face used for smelling and breathing.
Mouth; lip
The part of the face used for eating and speaking.
Hand; arm
The upper limb, covering both hand and arm.
Leg; foot
The lower limb used for walking.
Heart
The organ that pumps blood, also used for courage and feelings.
Hair
The hair on a person's head.
Stomach; belly
The front part of the body below the chest.
Doctor
A person trained to treat sick people.
Hospital
A place where sick people are treated.
Medicine
Something you take to treat an illness.
Health
The condition of the body and mind.
Sick person; sick
An ill person; kuwa mgonjwa means to be sick.
Work; job
A job, or the activity of working.
Company
A business organization that sells goods or services.
Office
A room or building where people work at desks.
Boss
The person in charge at work; mkuu is the formal word.
Colleague
A person you work with.
Meeting
An occasion when people come together to discuss something.
Money
Coins and banknotes; M-Pesa, mobile money, takes its name from this word.
Salary
The money you receive regularly for your work.
Computer
An electronic machine used for work and entertainment.
Telephone; phone
A device used for calling; mobile phones transformed East Africa.
Profession
The type of work a person is trained to do.
Project
A planned piece of work with a clear goal.
Customer
A person who buys goods or services; also means an unreachable phone!
Contract
A formal written agreement.
Manager
The person who leads a company, shop, or team.
Factory
A building where goods are made with machines.
Culture
The art, customs, and traditions of a society.
History
The study of past events, or the events themselves.
Language
A system of words; Swahili is spoken by over 200 million people.
Book
Written pages bound together for reading.
Music
Sounds arranged in a pleasing way; bongo flava is Tanzania's pop sound.
Film; movie
A story shown in moving pictures.
Art
Painting, sculpture, and other creative work; tingatinga painting is famous.
Museum
A building where important objects and art are shown.
Celebration; festival
A special time of celebration.
Religion
Belief in and worship of a god or gods.
Government
The group of people who rule a country.
News; report
Reports about recent events.
Society; community
People living together in an organized community.
Tradition; custom
A custom passed down through generations.
To be
To exist or to have a certain quality.
To have
To own or possess, literally to be with.
To go
To move from one place to another.
To come
To move toward the speaker or a place.
To eat
To put food in your mouth and swallow it.
To drink
To take liquid into your mouth and swallow it.
To see
To notice something with your eyes.
To hear
To notice sounds with your ears.
To speak; to say
To say words, to talk.
To read; to study
To look at words and understand them; also to study.
To write
To form letters and words on paper or a screen.
To buy
To get something by paying money.
To sell
To give something in exchange for money.
To do; to make
To perform an action or create something.
To work
To do a job, literally to do work.
To think
To use your mind to form ideas or opinions.
To want
To wish for or desire something.
To love; to like
To feel deep affection for someone or enjoy something.
To learn
To gain knowledge or skill.
To know
To have information or skill in your mind.
To understand; to know (people)
To understand, or to be acquainted with a person.
To give; to offer
To hand something to someone or offer it.
To take
To pick something up or accept it.
To look for
To try to find something.
To help
To make something easier for someone.
To begin
To start doing something.
To finish
To bring something to an end.
To sleep
To rest with your eyes closed at night.
Good; beautiful
Good or beautiful; agrees with noun class — nzuri, mzuri, kizuri.
Bad
Of poor quality; agrees with noun class — mbaya, kibaya.
Big
Of great size; agrees with noun class — mkubwa, kikubwa.
Small
Of little size; agrees with noun class — mdogo, kidogo.
New
Recently made or bought; agrees with noun class — mpya, kipya.
Old (things)
Worn or old for things; an old person is mzee, a title of respect.
Long; tall
Of great length or height; agrees with noun class — mrefu, kirefu.
Short
Of little length or height; agrees with noun class — mfupi, kifupi.
Hot
Having a high temperature; the word also means fire.
Cold; cool
Having a low temperature.
Fast; quickly
Quick or in a hurry; haraka haraka haina baraka — haste has no blessing.
Slowly
Without speed — the unofficial motto of Kilimanjaro guides.
Expensive
Costing a lot of money.
Cheap; easy
Costing little — and also easy; one word for both.
Difficult; hard
Hard to do, or hard in texture.
Important
Having great value or significance.
Clean; great
Free from dirt; in slang it means great or cool.
Sweet; delicious
Having a pleasant, sweet taste.
Fierce; sharp; strong
Fierce, sharp, or intense — used for sun, chili, dogs, and teachers.
Strong; firm
Strong, solid, or stable.
Rich
Having a lot of money; also a noun meaning a rich person or boss.
Poor
Having little money; also an exclamation of pity.
What
Used to ask about things.
Who
Used to ask about people.
Where
Used to ask about places.
When
Used to ask about time.
Why
Used to ask about reasons, literally for what.
How
Used to ask about manner; also a casual greeting like what's up.
How many; how much
Used to ask about quantity or price — essential at the market.
Which; what kind
Used to ask about a choice or type, placed after the noun.
Whose
Used to ask about ownership; the connector agrees with the noun class.
Question particle
Introduces a yes/no question politely.
House; home
A building where people live; nyumbani means at home.
Room
A space inside a building with its own walls.
Kitchen; stove
The kitchen, or the cooking stove itself.
Bathroom
The room for washing; the toilet is choo.
Bedroom
The room where you sleep, literally room of sleeping.
Door
The entrance to a room or building.
Window
An opening in a wall with glass that lets in light.
Table
A piece of furniture with a flat top.
Chair
A seat with a back for one person; plural viti.
Bed
A piece of furniture for sleeping.
Clothes
Things you wear; kanga and kitenge are beloved local fabrics.
Shoes
Footwear; singular kiatu.
Key
A metal object used to open locks; plural funguo.
Television
A device for watching programmes; televisheni is also used.
Lamp; light
A device that gives light.
Bag; pocket
A container for carrying things, or a pocket.
Mirror; glass
A mirror, or glass as a material.
To cook
To prepare food by heating it.
Shopping
The activity of buying things.
Weekend
Saturday and Sunday, the days off work.
Happiness; joy
The feeling of being happy; kuwa na furaha means to be happy.
Sadness
The feeling of being unhappy.
Anger
The feeling of strong displeasure.
Fear
The feeling of being afraid.
Tiredness
The state of needing rest; nimechoka means I am tired.
Hunger
The need to eat; nina njaa means I am hungry.
Thirst
The need to drink; nina kiu means I am thirsty.
Worry; anxiety
The feeling of being anxious; hakuna wasiwasi means no worries.
Excitement
The feeling of eager anticipation.
Surprise
The feeling of wonder at something unexpected.
Love
A deep feeling of affection.
Hope
The feeling that something good will happen.