Basic Swahili Phrases for Travelers

If you’re planning a trip to East Africa, consider learning a few basic phrases of Swahili before you go. Whether you’re embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime safari or planning on spending several months as a volunteer, being able to converse with the people you meet in their own language goes a long way towards bridging the cultural gap. With a few of the right phrases, you’ll find that people are friendlier and more helpful everywhere you go. 

Scope of Swahili?

Swahili is widely spoken language in sub-Saharan Africa, and acts as the common tongue (Lingua Franca) for most East Africans (although it’s not necessarily their first language). In Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili is an official language alongside English, and primary school children are usually taught in Swahili. Many Ugandans understand some Swahili, although it’s rarely spoken outside the capital, Kampala. The official language of the Comoros Islands is often classified as a dialect of Swahili.

Origins of Swahili

Swahili may date back several thousand years, but it developed into the language we hear today with the arrival of Arab and Persian traders on the East African coast between 500 – 1000 AD. Swahili is a word the Arabs used to describe “the coast” and only later did it come to apply to East African coastal culture specifically. In Swahili, the correct word to describe the language is Kiswahili and the people who speak Kiswahili as their mother tongue may call themselves Waswahilis. Although Arabic and indigenous African languages are the main inspiration for Swahili, the language includes words derived from English, German, and Portuguese.

Start with a Greeting

As in many African countries, greetings are a must. In the Swahili language, you should never begin a conversation without a greeting.

Greetings are important in Tanzania. So, if you can only remember one word use it to get connected to the local people.

Here are some of the most common phrases:

• Hello: jambo/ hujambo/ salama
• How are you?: habari gani
• Fine (response): nzuri
• Karibu: Welcome
• Asante: Thank you (to one person)
• In Swahili, the word Karibu is more than Welcome. In Swahili it means come stay, eat, drink, talk, crack jokes, share, sleep, ask questions and feel home.

• Asanteni : Thank you (to more than one person)
• Mambo? Hello/Informal and widely used in Tanzania (Age mates or younger)
• Poa (response)
• Goodbye: kwa heri (One Person) & kwa herini (more than one person)
• See you later: tutaonana
• Nice to meet you: nafurahi kuonana
• Habari za asubuhi – Hello/Good Morning (Very Formal, should use when speaking to elderly people or officials)
• Goodnight: lala salama

Learn to ask questions

Due to the friendly culture, many locals will ask you questions as a way of interacting and get to the same level of conversation. There are times you will also need to ask some questions too: Such as:

• Wapi? – Where?
• Lini? – When?
• Kwa Nini? – Why?
• Nani? – Who?
• Nini? – What?
• Gani? – Which?
• Pesa Ngapi or Bei gani? – How much?

Days and Numbers

• Today: leo
• Tomorrow: kesho
• Yesterday: jana
• Now: sasa
• Later: baadaye
• Every day: kila siku
• Monday: Jumatatu
• Tuesday: Jumanne
• Wednesday: Jumatano
• Thursday: Alhamisi
• Friday: Ljumaa
• Saturday: Jumamosi
• Sunday: Jumapili
• 1: moja
• 2: mbili
• 3: tatu
• 4: nne
• 5: tano
• 6: sita
• 7: saba
• 8: nane
• 9: tisa
• 10: kumi