Swahili vocabulary words

abdomen (pl. guts, entrails) tumbo / matumbo absolutely, totally kabisa aeroplane ndege Ulaya after baada ya again, besides, furthermore tena ahead, forward mbele all, the whole -ote alone, by oneself peke y- also, too pia and na animal mnyama / wanyama asphalt, tarmac lami aunt shangazi bad -baya bag, pocket m**o / mi**o banana ndizi bank benki / benki basket kikapu / vikapu because (1) kwa sababu because (2) kwa kuwa because (3) kwa maana bed kitanda / vitanda before kabla ya bell kengele between, in the midst of kati ya bird ndege birthday sikukuu ya kuzaliwa blessing baraka blood damu board ubao / mbao body mwili / miili book kitabu / vitabu boy mvulana / wavulana bread mkate / mikate bridge daraja / madaraja brother kaka brother, any sibling ndugu bus basi / mabasi but, however lakini calculation, arithmetic hesabu capital mji mkuu / miji mikuu car motokaa carpenter seremala center kati center, in the middle katikati center, station kituo / vituo chair kiti / viti chicken kuku / kuku child mtoto / watoto Christian Mkristo / wakristo Christianity Ukristo church kanisa / makanisa city, town mji / miji clean, pure, clear, sincere, correct safi clock, watch, hour saa clothing nguo / nguo coast, shore pwani coffee kahawa college chuo / vyuo company, corporation shirika / mashirika competition mashindano complete kamili condition hali cooked rice (not sticky rice) wali corner, horn of animal pembe corrugated iron bati / mabati country nchi cow ng'ombe craftsman, specialist fundi / mafundi cup kikombe / vikombe cupboard kabati date tarehe day siku the day before yesterday juzi daytime, noon, midday mchana different, various mbalimbali difficulty, problem shida doctor daktari / madaktari door mlango / milango doubt shaka / mashaka drum, traditional dance ngoma dry -kavu ear sikio / masikio early mapema earth dunia earth, soil udongo ease urahisi east mashariki easy, cheap (of price) rahisi education elimu egg yai / mayai eight -nane eighty themanini electricity, lightning umeme elephant tembo empty, unmixed, meaningless -tupu end mwisho energy, effort, willingness to work bidii enough -a kutosha equal to, the same as sawa na equal, just so sawa especially hasa Europe Ulaya even a little bit hata kidogo even, up to, until hata every, each kila example mfano / mifano except ila exclamation of surprise kumbe explanation maelezo expression of sympathy pole eye jicho / macho face uso / nyuso factory, workshop kiwanda / viwanda family, relative jamaa far mbali farm shamba / mashamba farmer mkulima / wakulima father baba feces, latrine choo / vyoo fever homa a few (only countable nouns) -chache fifty hamsini finger, toe kidole / vidole the first -a kwanza five -tano flour unga food (typically staples) chakula / vyakula for example kwa mfano fork uma / nyuma forty arobaini foundation msingi / misingi four -nne Friday (Muslim assembly day) Ijumaa friend rafiki from,kutoka toka fruit tunda / matunda gate, huge door lango / malango gift, present, prize zawadi giraffe twiga girl msichana / wasichana good, beautiful -zuri good, excellent, good quality bora good, fine, morally good -ema goodbye kwa heri government serikali great day, holiday sikukuu great, pre-eminent -kuu

greetings, peace salaam

Original Alphabetical juu high, above, up chini down, below, under -kaa sit, stay, live, remain kidole finger vidole fingers mbele ya in front of mlango door milango doors nyuma ya behind -onyesha show -onyesha kidole point picha picture sawasawa correctly, ok, alright -alika invite -ambiwa be told arusi wedding asili origin badala ya instead of dini religion -fuata follow -funga tie, close, shut -funga ndoa tie the marriage, marry kadhalika likewise, similary kanisa church makanisa churches karamu feast kiasili traditional, original way kidini religious way kienyeji native way, local way, local custom kihindi Indian way or custom kiislamu Moslem way or custom kikristo Christian way or custom kiyahudi Jewish way or custom -kubaliwa be accepted, be allowed kufuata according to kuliko more than mahari dowry Mkirsto Christian Wakristo Christians mpango plan mipango plans mjumbe representative wajumbe representatives msichana girl wasichana girls msikiti mosque misikiti mosques mvulana boy wavulana boys Mwislamu Moslem Wawislamu Moslems ndoa marriage -oa marry (said of a man) -olewa be married (said of a woman) -oana marry each other -ozwa be married by -peleka send pekee alone, solitary posa proposal maposa proposals -posa engage, become engaged sherehe celebration -sherehekea celebrate sheria law -tazama look at tofauti na different from dawa medicine sifa good reputation mnanasi pineapple plant minanasi pineapple plants ujuzi knowledge, experience utaratibu order, orderliness, care, carefulness afadhali better, preferable -chukua take, carry damu blood -enda zake go one's way hai alive hekima common sense hodari brave, clever, skillful -kali sharp, bitter, fierce -kataa refuse, say no kwao their home, their place maarifa information, knowledge, facts mara moja at once mfu dead person wafu dead people mfupa bone mifupa bones miongoni mwa among mwenzi companion wenzi companions mwenzao their companion wenzake his companions ngozi skin pori wilderness, bush, uninhabited place mapori wildernesses, bushes, uninhabited places rafiki friend marafiki friends -rudi return -rudisha cause to return -rudishia return to/for -ruka fly, jump -rukia fly at, jump at -shuka come down, climb down, get down simba lion -tia put, place, set into -tunza care for -ua kill uhai principle of life, state of being alive uhodari courage, skill uzima wholeness wale those -weka put down yule that -cheza play daktari doctor madaktari doctors dawa medicine fulani so and so homa fever jambo/mambo matter, thing, affair lazima necessity mpira ball mipira balls -piga hit -piga sindano give injection -pima measure, examine pole expression of sympathy sindano needle ugonjwa sickness magonjwa sicknesses -cheka laugh ghafula suddenly hadithi story hamu desire -ishia finish up -kubali agree, accept kuliko more than lo! exclamation -maliza finish mashindano competition mbio speed, race mjanja clever person wajanja clever people mwendo way, manner of going, pace miwendo ways -pita pass polepole slowly slowly -pumzika rest Yes! Naam/Ndiyo No! Hapana/La -elewa to understand -choka to be tired mgonjwa sick njaa hungry -sikia to feelto hear kiu thirsty tafadhali please? pole/pole sana SorryVery sorry -sema to speak nina swali I have a question Samahani I am sorry. kwaherini Good bye [plural] Tukijaliwa God wilingIf it is in our fate leo today kesho tomorrow jana yesterday juzi day before today wiki week ijayo next week iliyopita previous mwaka year mchana afternoon usiku night asabuhi morning jioni evening hisia feelings -chelewa to be late nina wasi wasi I am [have] anxiety/worried -shtuka to be shocked -penda to love/like -soma to read -fanya kazi to do/make -enda/kwenda to go -jibu to answer -la to eat -uliza to ask -ja/kuja to come -cheza to play -cheza dansi to dance -jua to know -taka to want/desire -ishi to live -kaa to stay -sikiliza to listen -andika to write -oga mwili to bathe -ona to see -ondoka to leave -itwa to be called/named -piga mswaki to brush teeth -piga simu to call on the phone simu phone -hitimu to graduate -fuzu to graduate -nunua to buy -zungumza to conservate -amka to wake up -fahamu to understand -rudi to return -toka to come from -kumbuka to remember -agiza to order -sahau to forget -tazama to watch -vaa to wear -jifunza to learn/study -hitaji to need -zaliwa to be born -cheka to laugh -pika to cook -weza to be able [to] -pita to pass -pata to findto get -tembelea to visit -zuru to visit -safiri to travel -fa to die -fariki to die -imba to sing -nywa to drink -safisha to washto clean -osha to wash -nawa to washto clean -eleza to explain -fika to arrive -furahi to be happy -hifadhi to protect -fundisha to teach -jenga to build -kata to cutto chop -lima to farm -maliza to finish -oga to batheto shower -ogelea to swim -oa to marry [for male] -olewa to marry [for female] -omba to askto pray -ota to dream -panda to climb -panda baiskeli to ride a bicycle -paka rangi to paint -potea to be lost -poteza to lose -pumzika to rest -saidia to help -sherehekea to celebrate -tawala to rule/reign -tawaliwa to be ruled -tembea to walk -tengeneza to maketo craft -anguka to fall to fail -chakua to take -ambia to tell -leta to bring -letea to be brought -paleka to send palekea to be sent -fikiri to think -fikiria to be thought of chuo kikuu university/college ndizi, ndizi bananas kiasi, viasi potato timu team mji, miji city motofaa apple filamu film kitabu, vitabu book nchi country kipindi show gari, magari car motokaa car chakula food nje outside meza table safari trip ndefu long lakini but treni train kichwa head nyumba home mnara buildingtower familia family mlima mountain paka cat binti daughter mkulima farmer Original Alphabetical maji water usiku night shangazi aunt ugonjwa sickness magonjwa sicknesses unasema age...? how do you say...? keshokutwa the day after tomorrow mwisho last unakwenda vipi polisi? how do you get to the police station? kukufahamu/kuwafahamu to have met you (singular/plural) mwzaji shopkeeper januari january februari february machi march aprili april mei may juni june julai july agosti august septemba september oktoba october novemba november disemba december leo ni tarehe... today's date it... mwezi wa... month of mwaka wa... year of mtoto wa tano fifthe kid watoto watano five kids kitabu cha tano fifth book vitabu vitano five books ufunguo wa sita sixth key funguo wa sita six keys ishirini 20 thelathini 30 arobaini 40 hamsini 50 sitini 60 sabini 70 themanini 80 tisini 90 mia moja 100 elfu moja 1000 wewe ulizaliwa lini? when were you born? nilizaliwa... I was born... sufuri 0 tensi tenses na- present tense (prefix) li- past tense (prefix) ta- future tense (prefix) hojaji questionnaire siku za wiki days of the week jumatatu monday jumanne tuesday jumatano wednesday alhamisi thursday ijumaa friday jumamosi saturday jumapili sunday hali ya hewa condition of weather joto hot mvua rain baridi cold wanaweza they are able unaweza you are able anaweza s/he is able ninaweza i am able tunaweza we are able mnaweza you (pl) are able ni- mimi verb prefix u- wewe verb prefix a- yeye verb prefix tu- sisi verb prefix mn- nyinyi verb prefix wa- wao verb prefix mtume prophet mtumwa slave ...ni ngeli gani? ...is which noun? mtihani test kuandaa to prepare tutawasilisha we will present -angu my/mine -ako yours (singular) -ake his/hers -etu ours -enu yours (plural) -ao theirs haijambo. habari za jamaa yako? ninataka i want kufanya to do hapa here (definite) hapo there (definite) pahali place (definite) huku this side/here (indefinite) huko over there (indefinite) mahali place (indefinite) humu here (inside a specific location) humo there (inside a specific location) mahali inside a specific place una miaka mingapi? how old are you? naomba unipe hoteli na/au texsi tafadhali I am requesting the you give me a hotel and/or taxi please naomba I request/pray unipe you give me ninataka I want kufanya to do kazi ya nyumbani homework hodi! hodi! hodi wenyewe! while knocking... karibu! karibu mgeni! welcome guest! nimeolewa a man has married me nimeoa I am married (males only) chuo kikuu cha university of serikali government kukaa to live kuishi to stay ninaitwa I am called afrika kusini south africa kusini ya Afrika southern africa nina miaka _____ I have ____ years florida iko wapi? where is florida? florida ipo kusini kwa nchi ya marekani florida is in the south of america mashariki east kushoto left kulia right moja kwa moja straight kisha and then kwenda to go makutano ya barabara ya... junction of road of... kaskazini north magharibi west darasa lipo upande wa kulia the class is on the right side utamaduni culture ulifanya nini DC? what did you do in DC? tulionana we saw each other nilikwenda I went kitaifa national mjinga idiot nilipenda I liked namna ya kwenda directions katikati middle ramani map tupo hapa we are here naja sasa hivi I am coming right now jina lako ni nani? your name is? jina lake ni nani? his/her name is? majina yao ni...na... their names are...and... mtaa neighborhood kupenda to like mwaka ujao next year -maliza finish theluji snow kasoro without, except baada ya after kabla ya before chakula cha mchana lunch chakula cha usiku dinner chemshakinywa breakfast kisha, halafu then hivi about, around mpaka, hadi until kati ya between nguo clothes hesabu math soka soccer kazi za shule schoolwork kamili complete kazi ya nyumbani homework jamaa family baba wa kambo stepdad pacha twin