🇰🇪 Stuff Every Traveler Should Say in Swahili: Training Guide

Everyday greetings

Swahili greetings often ask if all is well. When someone says Hujambo, they are asking whether anything is the matter with you. Your reply is Sijambo, which means nothing is the matter, so all is fine.

The word jambo is the root in Hujambo. It means a matter or affair. Hu-jambo asks about you, and si-jambo answers about me.

Habari is the other common greeting word. It means news. Habari gani asks what news, and you can answer Nzuri, Njema, Salama, or Safi, all meaning fine or good.

You can ask about a part of the day with Habari za asubuhi for morning, Habari za mchana for afternoon, Habari za jioni for evening, and Habari za usiku for night. Answer with Nzuri, the same as for plain Habari.

To greet more than one person, change Hujambo to Hamjambo. The group replies Hatujambo, meaning we are fine. A guide greeting a safari jeep full of people might say Hamjambo.

Respectful and casual greetings

Shikamoo is a respectful greeting for someone older, such as a grandparent, teacher, or older neighbor. A younger person says it first. It is heard a lot in Tanzania and on Zanzibar, where greeting etiquette matters.

The elder replies Marahaba. Shikamoo and Marahaba always go together, with the younger person saying Shikamoo and the older person saying Marahaba. Marahaba is often translated as I am delighted.

Shikamoo literally means I touch your feet. It shows humble respect to an older person. That meaning is not used in everyday English, but it explains the respectful tone.

With friends your own age, Mambo or Mambo vipi means what's up. Answer Poa, Safi, or Freshi, all meaning cool or good. Do not use this with elders; they should receive Shikamoo.

To greet a whole group of elders at once, say Shikamooni, which adds the group ending -ni. This is the plural form of Shikamoo.

Names and introductions

Jina means name, langu means my, and ni means is. To say my name is, put them together: Jina langu ni. Add your name after ni.

To ask someone's name, you can say Jina lako ni nani? This means what is your name. Lako means your.

Another way to ask is Unaitwa nani? It literally means you are called who. Answer with Ninaitwa plus your name, which means I am called.

After names are exchanged, say Nimefurahi kukufahamu, which means I am happy to know you. You can also ask Unatoka wapi to ask where someone is from.

Please and welcome

Tafadhali means please. It turns a plain command into a polite request. For example, Karibu, kaa tafadhali means welcome, please sit.

Karibu means welcome. You hear it in shops, homes and hotels. Karibu ndani means welcome inside, and it also answers Asante like you're welcome.

When you visit a home, call Hodi at the door. The host answers Karibu, meaning come in.

To welcome a group, use Karibuni. The -ni ending makes it plural, just like it does for other group forms.

Thanks, yes and no

Asante means thank you. Add sana to say thank you very much: Asante sana. Sana works on many words, like nzuri sana, very good.

To thank a group, say Asanteni, not Asante. The ending -ni makes it plural.

Ndiyo means yes. Hapana means no. To politely refuse something, say Hapana, asante, which means no thank you.

Sawa means okay or fine. It works as a way to agree. You may see Ndiyo spelled as ndio.

Some speakers also say la for no, but hapana is the common travel word.

Sympathy and goodbyes

Pole shows sympathy after a small mishap, an illness, or a tiring day. Say Pole to one person; Pole sana means very sorry.

To show sympathy to more than one person, say Poleni. The -ni ending makes it plural.

When you take your leave, a simple farewell is Kwaheri for one person. If you are saying goodbye to several people, switch to Kwaherini.

Tutaonana means see you later, literally we will see each other. You can say Kwaheri, tutaonana baadaye: goodbye, see you later.

Counting basics

Numbers one to ten: moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano, sita, saba, nane, tisa, kumi. Tano is five.

To make 11, say kumi na moja: ten and one. Kumi na mbili is 12. The word na means and.

Mia means hundred. Mia moja is 100 and mia mbili is 200. The number comes after mia, so mia tatu is literally hundred three, 300.

Elfu means thousand. Elfu moja is 1,000 and elfu mbili is 2,000. Elfu moja na mia tano is 1,500.

Twenty is ishirini, so 25 is ishirini na tano, twenty and five.

Swahili time

Swahili time starts counting at sunrise, around 6 am near the equator. The first hour, saa moja, is 7 am.

To convert Swahili time to standard time, add six hours. Saa moja asubuhi, hour one of the morning, is 7:00 am.

Noon is saa sita mchana, the sixth hour of the day. Six hours after sunrise is noon.

Saa nane mchana means the eighth hour of the afternoon, 2:00 pm. If you read nane as eight o'clock, you will be six hours off.

Ask what time is it by saying Saa ngapi? Saa means time or hour. The answer may come in Swahili time, so remember to add six hours.

The first hour of night, saa moja usiku, is 7 pm.

Shopping and prices

Kenya's money is the shilling, shilingi in Swahili. Pesa is money in general, and dola means dollars.

Ask how much something costs by saying Bei gani? Bei means price and gani means what.

A vendor might answer with a number, such as Shilingi ishirini, twenty shillings.

To bargain, say Punguza bei, tafadhali. Punguza means reduce or lower and bei means price. A shorter version is Punguza kidogo, reduce a little.

If a price seems too high, say Bei ghali, the price is expensive. Ghali sana means very expensive. A fair price is bei nafuu and a cheap one is bei rahisi.

The opposite of lower the price is Ongeza kidogo, add a little more. Remember that bei rahisi sana means very cheap price, which no seller wants to hear.

Shops and browsing

Duka means shop or store. Duka la dawa is a pharmacy and duka la vitabu is a bookstore.

Soko means market. Kwenda sokoni means to go to the market. Adding -ni to a place word means at or to it.

Kwenda dukani means to go to the shops. This follows the same -ni pattern.

If you want to browse without buying, say Ninaangalia tu. Kuangalia means to look, ni-na- makes it I am, and tu means just. It lets you browse without promising to buy.

Angalia on its own is a command: Look or Watch. Do not confuse it with Ninaangalia tu, which is a polite statement.

Asking where things are

Wapi means where. It usually comes at the end of a question, as in Choo kiko wapi? Where is the toilet?

Do not mix up wapi (where) and lini (when). Wapi asks for a place, lini asks for time.

Choo means toilet or restroom. Its plural is vyoo. Msala is another word for restroom. To ask where the toilet is, say Choo kiko wapi?

The pattern Kiko wapi works for other places too. Kituo cha basi kiko wapi means Where is the bus station?

Shared rides and taxis

In Kenya, shared minibus taxis are called matatus. In Tanzania, the same type of ride is a dala dala. These vehicles run set routes around cities.

Ask the fare on a dala dala with Nauli kiasi gani? Nauli means fare and kiasi gani asks how much.

You can also ask Ni mbali kutoka hapa? which means Is it far from here? This phrase helps you know if a trip is long.

A bodaboda is a bicycle taxi or motorcycle taxi, handy for short trips. Pikipiki is the word for the motorcycle itself. Agree on the fare before you get on.

Safari means journey or trip in Swahili. English borrowed the word for a wildlife tour. You can say Safari njema to wish someone a safe trip.

Hotels, rooms and facilities

Hoteli means hotel, and it is also used for a place to eat. Context tells you whether it has beds or just meals. Mkahawa is another word for restaurant or cafe.

Chumba means room, as in a hotel room. Ninataka chumba means I want a room. Do not mix it up with choo, the toilet.

The plural of chumba is vyumba, because the noun is in the ki/vi class. For example, a hotel may have vyumba, rooms.

Food and drinks

Chakula means food, and its plural vyakula means foods or kinds of food. The verb kula means to eat, and chakula is built from it.

Maji means water. The phrase Tafadhali kunywa maji means please drink water. Do not mix up maji with maziwa, which means milk.

Nyama choma is grilled or roasted meat. Nyama means meat and kuchoma means to roast. Roasted maize or corn on the cob is mahindi ya kuchoma.

Ugali is a stiff maize porridge, a staple served with stews, greens or grilled meat. Another name for it is sima.

Chai means tea. If you want milk tea, ask for chai ya maziwa. Kahawa means coffee, so ask for kahawa if you want coffee.

Animals on safari

Simba means lion. Tembo means elephant, and twiga means giraffe. These are common names on a safari checklist.

Simba stays the same in the plural: one simba, many simba.

Tembo means elephant, and ndovu is another word for the same animal. Kiboko means hippopotamus and chui means leopard.

On a safari, look for a twiga, the giraffe. Protected areas for wildlife are called mbuga za wanyama, and these are the places travelers commonly spot them.

Kiboko means hippopotamus. Kifaru means rhino. Punda milia, the zebra, starts with punda, the word for donkey.

Wild animals as a group are wanyama pori.

Health and getting help

Daktari is the everyday word for a doctor. You may also hear mganga, which can mean a physician or healer.

For medical care, the place to go is hospitali. You can say Nitaenda hospitalini to say you will go there. Medicine is called dawa, and a shop that sells medicine is a duka la dawa.

Msaada means help or assistance. Ninahitaji msaada means I need help. Ninahitaji means I need, so you can say Ninahitaji teksi, I need a taxi.

Polisi means police. Askari is another word for a police officer. A police station is kituo cha polisi, and kituo means station, as in kituo cha basi, bus station.