Kiswahili, also known as Swahili, is widely spoken across East Africa. It is particularly important in Kenya and Tanzania and is also used in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of the region.
Kiswahili is a major African language with millions of speakers across East Africa and beyond.
It is used in homes, schools, workplaces, media, government, business and everyday conversations. Because of its wide use, Kiswahili vocabulary can vary somewhat between countries and communities.
For a beginner, however, learning widely understood words and expressions provides a strong starting point.
Common Kiswahili words for beginners
Here are some basic Kiswahili words that are useful in everyday situations.
Ndiyo — Yes
Hapana — No
Asante — Thank you
Tafadhali — Please
Karibu — Welcome / near
Samahani — Sorry / excuse me
Pole — Sorry / take heart
Sawa — Okay / alright
Vizuri — Good / well
Sana — Very / much
Kidogo — A little
Hapa — Here
Huko — There
Sasa — Now
Labda — Maybe
These are among the first words worth learning because you can use them in many different conversations.
Kiswahili greetings and everyday expressions
Greetings are an important part of communication in Kiswahili.
Habari? means “How are you?” or “What’s the news?”
Habari yako? means “How are you?”
Habari za asubuhi? can be used when greeting someone in the morning.
Habari za mchana? is used around the afternoon.
Habari za jioni? is used in the evening.
Nzuri means “good” or “fine”.
Shikamoo is a respectful greeting traditionally used when addressing an older person.
Marahaba is the traditional response to Shikamoo.
Jambo can be used as a greeting meaning “hello”.
Kwa heri means “goodbye”.
Tutaonana means “see you”.
Kiswahili words for family and people
Family vocabulary is useful in almost every language, and Kiswahili is no different.
Mtu — Person
Watu — People
Mtoto — Child
Watoto — Children
Mama — Mother
Baba — Father
Mzazi — Parent
Kaka — Brother
Dada — Sister
Mume — Husband
Mke — Wife
Rafiki — Friend
Jirani — Neighbour
Mwanaume — Man
Mwanamke — Woman
Notice the relationship between mtoto and watoto, and between mtu and watu. Kiswahili changes word forms according to grammatical categories such as noun class and number.
Common Kiswahili food vocabulary
Food is another useful area to study when learning Kiswahili.
Chakula — Food
Maji — Water
Maziwa — Milk
Chai — Tea
Kahawa — Coffee
Nyama — Meat
Samaki — Fish
Mchele — Rice
Mkate — Bread
Maharagwe — Beans
Mboga — Vegetables
Matunda — Fruits
Ndizi — Bananas
Chungwa — Orange
Sukari — Sugar
For example, you might hear:
Nataka maji. — I want water.
Nataka chakula. — I want food.
Ninapenda chai. — I like tea.
Common Kiswahili verbs
Verbs are essential for building sentences.
Many Kiswahili verbs are commonly introduced in their infinitive form with ku-.
Some important verbs include:
Kula — To eat
Kunywa — To drink
Kwenda — To go
Kuja — To come
Kulala — To sleep
Kuamka — To wake up
Kukaa — To sit / stay
Kusimama — To stand
Kutembea — To walk
Kukimbia — To run
Kusoma — To read / study
Kuandika — To write
Kujifunza — To learn
Kufanya — To do / make
Kusaidia — To help
Kuona — To see
Kusikia — To hear
Kuzungumza — To speak
Kusubiri — To wait
Kujua — To know
These verbs become even more useful when placed into sentences.
For example:
Ninasoma. — I am reading / studying.
Ninakwenda. — I am going.
Ninakula. — I am eating.
Ninakunywa maji. — I am drinking water.
Kiswahili words for places
Knowing words for common places is particularly useful when travelling or asking for directions.
Nyumba — House
Nyumbani — Home / at home
Mji — Town / city
Kijiji — Village
Nchi — Country
Shule — School
Chuo — College / institution
Hospitali — Hospital
Soko — Market
Duka — Shop
Ofisi — Office
Barabara — Road
Kituo — Station / centre
Uwanja — Field / grounds
For example:
Uko wapi? — Where are you?
Niko nyumbani. — I am at home.
Ninaenda sokoni. — I am going to the market.
Kiswahili words for describing things
Adjectives allow you to describe people, objects and places.
Nzuri — Good / beautiful
Mbaya — Bad
Kubwa — Big
Ndogo — Small
Mrefu — Tall / long
Mfupi — Short
Mpya — New
Kongwe — Old / ancient
Rahisi — Easy
Ngumu — Difficult / hard
Moto — Hot
Baridi — Cold
Safi — Clean
Chafu — Dirty
Haraka — Fast / quickly
For example:
Nyumba kubwa — A big house
Mtoto mdogo — A small child
Maji baridi — Cold water
Kiswahili numbers
Numbers are among the most useful words to learn, particularly for shopping, travel and everyday conversations.
The first ten numbers are:
Moja — One
Mbili — Two
Tatu — Three
Nne — Four
Tano — Five
Sita — Six
Saba — Seven
Nane — Eight
Tisa — Nine
Kumi — Ten
After ten, numbers can be combined.
Kumi na moja — Eleven
Kumi na mbili — Twelve
Kumi na tatu — Thirteen
Ishirini — Twenty
Thelathini — Thirty
Arubaini — Forty
Hamsini — Fifty
Kiswahili words for time
These everyday words will help you talk about time.
Leo — Today
Jana — Yesterday
Kesho — Tomorrow
Sasa — Now
Baadaye — Later
Asubuhi — Morning
Mchana — Afternoon / daytime
Jioni — Evening
Usiku — Night
Wiki — Week
Mwezi — Month
Mwaka — Year
Siku — Day
Wakati — Time
For example:
Tutaonana kesho. — See you tomorrow.
Ninaenda sasa. — I am going now.
Nitakuona baadaye. — I will see you later.
Kiswahili question words
Question words are essential for having conversations.
Nani? — Who?
Nini? — What?
Wapi? — Where?
Lini? — When?
Kwa nini? — Why?
Vipi? — How?
Gani? — Which? / what kind?
Ngapi? — How many?
Kiasi gani? — How much?
You can combine these with other words to form useful questions.
Unakwenda wapi? — Where are you going?
Unaitwa nani? — What is your name? / What are you called?
Hii ni nini? — What is this?
Kwa nini umechelewa? — Why are you late?
Ni kiasi gani? — How much is it?
Useful Kiswahili expressions
Some phrases are better learned as complete expressions rather than as individual words.
Asante sana — Thank you very much
Karibu sana — You are very welcome / welcome very much
Hakuna shida — No problem
Pole sana — Very sorry / take heart
Tafadhali nisaidie — Please help me
Sijui — I don’t know
Sielewi — I don’t understand
Ninaelewa — I understand
Niko tayari — I am ready
Twende — Let’s go
Usijali — Don’t worry
Hebu ngoja — Please wait / hold on
Kweli? — Really?
Haya — Okay / alright / come on
Basi — Then / so / enough
Kiswahili vocabulary commonly used in Kenya
If you live in Kenya, you are likely to hear Kiswahili every day.
Some particularly common words and expressions include sawa, haya, basi, pole, asante, karibu, tafadhali, haraka, kidogo, sana, kweli? and hakuna shida.
Kenyan speech may also include Sheng, an informal urban variety that draws heavily on Kiswahili and English and also incorporates vocabulary from other Kenyan languages.
Sheng is different from standard Kiswahili and can change quickly. If you are a beginner, it is usually easier to learn standard Kiswahili first and then gradually familiarise yourself with informal Kenyan expressions.
Kiswahili vocabulary for travel
If you are travelling in East Africa, these words can be especially useful.
Gari — Car
Basi — Bus
Treni — Train
Uwanja wa ndege — Airport
Hoteli — Hotel
Tiketi — Ticket
Kituo — Station / stop
Barabara — Road
Njia — Way / route
Ramani — Map
Kushoto — Left
Kulia — Right
Mbele — In front / ahead
Nyuma — Behind / back
Karibu — Near
Mbali — Far
Useful sentences include:
Kituo kiko wapi? — Where is the station?
Uwanja wa ndege uko wapi? — Where is the airport?
Nataka kwenda mjini. — I want to go to town.
Ni mbali? — Is it far?
Kiswahili vocabulary for shopping
Shopping is another situation where a few basic words can go a long way.
Pesa — Money
Bei — Price
Ghali — Expensive
Rahisi — Cheap / easy, depending on context
Duka — Shop
Soko — Market
Nunua — Buy
Uza — Sell
Lipa — Pay
Fedha — Money / funds
Bidhaa — Product / goods
Useful phrases include:
Bei gani? — What price? / How much?
Ni kiasi gani? — How much is it?
Ni ghali. — It is expensive.
Punguza bei. — Reduce the price.
Nataka hii. — I want this.
How to improve your Kiswahili vocabulary
Building vocabulary takes time, but you can make the process easier by using a few simple habits.
Learn words by topic
Instead of memorising random vocabulary, focus on one subject at a time. You could spend one week learning food vocabulary, another on family and another on travel.
Learn words in sentences
A word is easier to remember when you understand how it works.
Instead of learning only soma = read/study, learn:
Ninasoma kitabu. — I am reading a book.
Practise every day
You do not need to spend hours studying. Even 10 or 15 minutes of daily practice can help you build your vocabulary over time.
Listen to Kiswahili
Listen to news, radio, podcasts, videos, conversations and other Kiswahili content. Hearing words used naturally will improve both vocabulary and pronunciation.
Speak whenever possible
Try using new words with friends, colleagues or other Kiswahili speakers. Making mistakes is a normal part of language learning.
Keep a personal word list
Write down new words and review them regularly. Add an example sentence whenever possible.
Kiswahili vocabulary and grammar go together
Learning individual words is only the beginning.
To speak Kiswahili naturally, you also need to understand how words change when they are used in sentences.
For example:
Mtoto — Child
Watoto — Children
Ninasoma — I am reading / studying
Unasoma — You are reading / studying
Anasoma — He or she is reading / studying
The prefixes and word forms carry important grammatical information.
This is why learning vocabulary alongside basic Kiswahili grammar is much more effective than memorising long lists of words on their own.