Swahili Phrases for Travelers to East Africa

If you’re planning a trip to East Africa, learning a few basic Swahili phrases before you go is important. Whether you’re embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime safari or spending several months as a volunteer, conversing with the people you meet in their language goes a long way toward bridging the cultural gap.

Basic Swahili Phrases for Travelers

If your Swahili needs are more simple, browse the list below to find a few top phrases to practice before you leave on vacation.

Greetings

• Hello: jambo/ hujambo/ ​salama
• How are you?: habari gani
• Fine (response): nzuri
• Goodbye: kwa heri/ kwa herini (more than one person)
• See you later: tutaonana
• Nice to meet you: nafurahi kukuona
• Goodnight: lala salama

Civilities

• Yes: ndiyo
• No: hapana
• Thank you: asante
• Thank you very much: asante sana
• Please: tafadhali
• OK: sawa
• Excuse me: samahani
• You’re welcome: starehe
• Can you help me?: tafadhali, naomba msaada
• What is your name?: jina lako nani?
• My name is: jina langu ni
• Where are you from?: unatoka wapi?
• I’m from: natokea
• May I take a picture?: naomba kupiga picha
• Do you speak English?: unasema kiingereza?
• Do you speak Swahili?: unasema Kiswahili?
• Just a little bit: kidogo tu
• How do you say… in Swahili?: unasemaje… kwa kiswahili
• I don’t understand: sielewi
• Friend: rafiki

Getting Around

• Where is the…?: ni wapi…?
• Airport: uwanja wa ndege
• Bus station: stesheni ya basi
• Bus stop: bas stendi
• Taxi stand: stendi ya teksi
• Train Station: stesheni ya treni
• Bank: benki
• Market: soko
• Police station: kituo cha polisi
• Post office: posta
• Tourist Office: ofisi ya watali
• Toilet/ bathroom: choo
• What time is the… leaving?: inaondoka saa… ngapi?
• Bus: basi
• Minibus: matatu (Kenya); dalla dalla (Tanzania)
• Plane: ndege
• Train: treni/gari la moshi
• Is there a bus going to…?: kuna basi ya…?
• I’d like to buy a ticket: nataka kununua tikiti
• Is it near: ni karibu?
• Is it far: ni mbali?
• There: huko
• Over there: pale
• Ticket: tikiti
• Where are you going?: unakwenda wapi?
• How much is the fare?: nauli ni kiasi gani?
• Hotel: hoteli
• Room: chumba
• Reservation: akiba
• Are there any vacancies for tonight?: mna nafasi leo usiko? (Kenya: iko nafasi leo usiku?)
• No vacancies: hamna nafasi. (Kenya: hakuna nafasi)
• How much is it per night?: ni bei gani kwa usiku?

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
• 11: kumi na moja (ten and one)
• 12: kumi na mbili (ten and two)
• 20: ishirini
• 21: ishirni na moja (twenty and one)
• 30: thelathini
• 40: arobaini
• 50: hamsini
• 60: sitini
• 70: sabini
• 80: themanini
• 90: tisini
• 100: mia
• 200: mia mbili
• 1000: elfu
• 100,000: laki

Food and Drinks

• I’d like: nataka
• Food: chakula
• Hot/cold: ya moto/baridi
• Water: maji
• Hot water: maji ya moto
• Drinking water: maji ya kunywa
• Soda: soda
• Beer: bia
• Milk: maziwa
• Meat: nyama
• Chicken: nyama kuku
• Fish: sumaki
• Beef: nyama ng’ombe
• Fruit: matunda
• Vegetables: mboga

Health

• Where can I find a…?: naweza kupata… wapi?
• Doctor: daktari/mganga
• Hospital: hospitali
• Medical center: matibabu
• I’m sick: mimi ni mgonjwa
• I need a doctor: nataka kuona daktari
• It hurts here: naumwa hapa
• Fever: homa
• Malaria: melaria
• Mosquito net: chandalua
• Headache: umwa kichwa
• Diarrhea: harisha/endesha
• Vomiting: tapika
• Medicine: dawa

Animals

• Animal: wanyama
• Buffalo: nyati/mbogo
• Cheetah: duma/ chita
• Cow: n’gombe
• Elephant: tembo/ndovuh
• Giraffe: twiga
• Goat: mbuzi
• Hippo: kiboko
• Hyena: fisi
• Leopard: chui
• Lion: simba
• Rhino: kifaru
• Warthog: ngiri
• Wildebeest: nyumbu
• Zebra: punda milia

Who Speaks Swahili?

Swahili is the most widely spoken language in sub-Saharan Africa and is the common tongue for most East Africans (although it’s not necessarily their first language). Swahili is an official language alongside English in Kenya and Tanzania, and primary school children are usually taught in Swahili. It has been an official language in Ugandan since 2022. The official language of the Comoro Islands, Comorian, is a Bantu language related to Swahili.

If you’re traveling in Rwanda or Burundi, French will probably get you further than Swahili (after English, of course) but a few words here and there will be understood and the effort appreciated. Swahili is also spoken in parts of Malawi, Zambia, the DRC, Somalia, and Mozambique. The 2019 edition of the reference publication Ethnologue estimates that dialects of Swahili are spoken as a first language by roughly 16 million people and by over 200 million people worldwide. This makes Swahili the 10th-most widely spoken language in the world.

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 and 1,000 AD. Swahili is a word the Arabs used to describe things of or pertaining to the coast. Only later did it come to apply to East African coastal culture specifically. The correct word to describe the language in Swahili is Kiswahili, and the people who speak Kiswahili as their mother tongue may call themselves Waswahili. Although Arabic and indigenous African languages are the main inspiration for Swahili, the language includes words derived from English, German, and Portuguese.

Learning to Speak Swahili

Swahili is a relatively simple language to learn, mostly because words are pronounced as they are written. If you wish to expand your Swahili beyond the introductory phrases listed below, there are several excellent online resources for doing so. St. Lawrence University lists nearly two dozen resources such as Swahili flashcards, grammar books, and podcasts for oral comprehension practice.

Another great way to immerse yourself in Swahili culture is to listen to in-language broadcasting from sources like BBC Radio in Swahili or Voice of America in Swahili. If you would rather learn Swahili upon arrival in East Africa, consider attending a language school. You’ll find them in most major towns and cities in Kenya and Tanzania; do a little research or ask the tourism office, your hotel or guesthouse, or the embassy. However you choose to learn Swahili, invest in a phrasebook, because no matter how much you study, you’re likely to forget even the most basic Swahili phrases the first time you’re put on the spot.