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)
- Ujamaa – socialism
- Jumuiya – communal, commune
- Pamoja – together
- Umoja – oneness
- Chama cha kazi – work party
- Ukama kazi – community work
- Kuendeleza – develop
- Maendeleo – development
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.
