Funda KiSwahili

Mwingiliano (Interaction)

Salamu (greeting)

  • Habari – Hello
  • Kwaheri – Goodbye
  • Nafuraha kukuona – happy to see you or to meet
  • Njema, nzuri or salama – good or fine
  • Tafadhali – please
  • Samahani – excuse me
  • Mbaya – bad (I am not well, things are not well)
  • Habari za asubuhi – good morning
  • Mchana mwema – good afternoon
  • Habari za jioni – good evening
  • Habari yako – how are you?
  • Jina langu ni – my name is
  • Mimi natoka – I am from

Wema (Kindness)

  • Tafadhali – Please
  • Asante – thank you
  • Karibu – you are welcome
  • Samahani – I’m sorry
  • Hakuna matata – no worries
  • Hongera – congratulations

Uamuzi (Decision)

  • Hapana – No
  • Ndio – Yes
  • Sawa – Ok
  • Sijui – I don’t know

Mahusiano (Relationships) | Household (Kaya)

  • People (Watu)
  • Person (Mtu)
  • Mwanamke – Woman
  • Mwanaume – Man
  • Mzee – Old man
  • Mama – Old woman
  • Msichana – Girl
  • Kijana – Boy
  • Rafiki – Friend
  • Bwana – Husband
  • Mke – Wife
  • Jina – Name
  • Nyumba – House
  • Mahusiano kazi – family work
  • Kaya kazi – household (family) work

Nouns (Akimaanisha watu)

*It very offensive to ask someone if they are ‘she’ or ‘he’. This is the same throughout Africa.

  • Mimi – I
  • Wewe – you
  • Yeye – he
  • Yeye – she
  • Wale – they
  • Sisi – we
  • Hii – this
  • Ile – that
  • Yake – her
  • Yake – his

Doing (Kufanya|Kuigiza)

  • Kuwa – To become
  • Kusema – To say
  • Kuja – To come
  • Kwenda – To go
  • Kuweza kufanya – To be able to do
  • Kuona – To see
  • Kutuma – To send
  • Kuwa na – To have
  • Kuchukua – To take
  • Kungoja – To wait
  • Kukutana – To meet
  • Kuishi – To live
  • Kufikiri – To think
  • Kupa – To give
  • Kupata – To receive
  • Kujua – To know
  • Kutengeneza – To make
  • Kutumia – To use
  • Kusoma – To learn
  • Kula – To eat (chakula – food)
  • Kunywa – To drink
  • Kucheka – To laugh
  • Kusoma – To read
  • Kupendo – Love

Community (Ujama)

Social (Kijamii)

  • Kijamii kazi (kazi za kijamii) – social work
  • Mfanyakazi wa kijamii – Social worker
  • Wafanyakazi wa kijamii – Social workers
  • Nchi – country
  • Nchi inayoendelea – developed country
  • Haki – justice
  • Tunataka haki – We want justice
  • Haki kwa kila mtu – Justice to everyone
  • Uhuru – independence, freedom

Environment (Mazingira)

  • Ardhi – land
  • Mnyama – animal
  • Mti – tree
  • Mboga – vegetable
  • Mimea – vegetation
  • Madini – minerals
  • Maji – water

Spirituality (Kiroho)

  • Roho – spirit
  • Kiroho -spirituality
  • Babu – ancestor
  • Mungu/Muumba – God/Creator
  • Maisha – life
  • Kifo – death
  • Kaburi – grave
  • Kizazi – generation
  • Urithi – heritage

Some words from Martin Mbae blog

Video

How to decolonise a language

Others have said to decolonise Swahili as well as many other written languages in Africa, we need to change the characters (or letters of the alphabet) to come up with (or revalue) characters that have meaning in those contexts. The characters used currently (A,B,C,D…) have meanings where they came from.