Knowing individual Swahili words is useful, but being able to put those words together in everyday conversations is what really helps you communicate.
Whether you are learning Swahili for travel, work, school, family, business or everyday life in East Africa, a collection of practical phrases can give you a strong starting point.
This guide brings together 200 useful Swahili phrases and their English meanings, covering greetings, introductions, everyday conversations, questions, shopping, travel, food, work, school, family, emergencies and social situations.
Swahili is widely spoken across East Africa, with particularly strong use in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries. The exact wording of some expressions can vary by country, region and context.
Greetings and basic phrases
- Habari? — How are you? / What’s the news?
- Habari yako? — How are you?
- Habari za asubuhi? — Good morning / How is your morning?
- Habari za mchana? — Good afternoon.
- Habari za jioni? — Good evening.
- Habari za usiku? — How is your night?
- U hali gani? — How are you?
- Hujambo? — How are you? / Hello.
- Sijambo. — I am fine.
- Jambo! — Hello.
- Shikamoo. — Respectful greeting to an elder.
- Marahaba. — Response to Shikamoo.
- Karibu. — Welcome.
- Karibu sana. — You are very welcome.
- Asante. — Thank you.
- Asante sana. — Thank you very much.
- Tafadhali. — Please.
- Samahani. — Excuse me / Sorry.
- Pole. — Sorry / I sympathise with you.
- Pole sana. — I am very sorry.
- Hakuna shida. — No problem.
- Hakuna tatizo. — There is no problem.
- Sawa. — Okay.
- Sawa kabisa. — Absolutely okay / All right.
- Vizuri. — Good / Well.
- Nzuri. — Good / Fine.
- Ndio. — Yes.
- Hapana. — No.
- Labda. — Maybe.
- Basi. — Okay then / So / That’s enough, depending on context.
Introducing yourself
- Jina langu ni Farah. — My name is Farah.
- Unaitwa nani? — What is your name?
- Jina lako nani? — What is your name?
- Naitwa… — My name is…
- Nafurahi kukutana nawe. — Nice to meet you.
- Nimetoka Kenya. — I am from Kenya.
- Umetoka wapi? — Where are you from?
- Ninatoka… — I come from…
- Unaishi wapi? — Where do you live?
- Ninaishi Nairobi. — I live in Nairobi.
- Unafanya nini? — What do you do?
- Mimi ni mwanafunzi. — I am a student.
- Mimi ni mwalimu. — I am a teacher.
- Ninafanya kazi hapa. — I work here.
- Ninafurahi kukuona. — I am happy to see you.
Everyday conversation
- Uko aje? — How are you?
- Uko salama? — Are you safe?
- Mambo vipi? — How are things?
- Mambo yakoje? — How are things?
- Niko vizuri. — I am fine.
- Niko sawa. — I am okay.
- Niko salama. — I am safe.
- Niko tayari. — I am ready.
- Unafanya nini sasa? — What are you doing now?
- Unaenda wapi? — Where are you going?
- Umetoka wapi? — Where have you come from?
- Utafanya nini? — What will you do?
- Utaenda lini? — When will you go?
- Umerudi lini? — When did you return?
- Ninaelewa. — I understand.
- Sielewi. — I don’t understand.
- Sijui. — I don’t know.
- Najua. — I know.
- Nadhani hivyo. — I think so.
- Sidhani hivyo. — I don’t think so.
- Kweli? — Really?
- Kweli kabisa. — Absolutely true.
- Ni kweli. — It is true.
- Si kweli. — It is not true.
- Usijali. — Don’t worry.
Useful questions
- Nani? — Who?
- Nini? — What?
- Wapi? — Where?
- Lini? — When?
- Kwa nini? — Why?
- Vipi? — How?
- Gani? — Which?
- Ngapi? — How many?
- Kiasi gani? — How much?
- Hii ni nini? — What is this?
- Huyo ni nani? — Who is that?
- Hii iko wapi? — Where is this?
- Unajua wapi? — Where do you know?
- Kwa nini umechelewa? — Why are you late?
- Unahitaji nini? — What do you need?
- Unataka nini? — What do you want?
- Unaenda lini? — When are you going?
- Utafika saa ngapi? — What time will you arrive?
- Unaishi wapi? — Where do you live?
- Unaweza kunisaidia? — Can you help me?
Asking for help
- Nisaidie, tafadhali. — Help me, please.
- Tafadhali nisaidie. — Please help me.
- Naomba msaada. — I need help / I ask for assistance.
- Unaweza kunisaidia? — Can you help me?
- Nimepotea. — I am lost.
- Sijui njia. — I don’t know the way.
- Nahitaji msaada. — I need help.
- Subiri kidogo. — Wait a little.
- Ngoja kidogo. — Wait a moment.
- Tafadhali sema tena. — Please say it again.
Understanding and communication
- Sikuelewi. — I don’t understand you.
- Sijaelewa. — I haven’t understood.
- Nimeelewa. — I have understood.
- Unaweza kurudia? — Can you repeat?
- Sema polepole. — Speak slowly.
- Tafadhali ongea polepole. — Please speak slowly.
- Unamaanisha nini? — What do you mean?
- Hilo lina maana gani? — What does that mean?
- Unasemaje kwa Kiswahili? — How do you say it in Swahili?
- Unasemaje kwa Kiingereza? — How do you say it in English?
- Ninajifunza Kiswahili. — I am learning Swahili.
- Ninazungumza Kiswahili kidogo. — I speak a little Swahili.
- Sizungumzi Kiswahili vizuri. — I don’t speak Swahili well.
- Ninaelewa kidogo. — I understand a little.
- Nisahihishe nikikosea. — Correct me if I make a mistake.
Family and friends
- Huyu ni nani? — Who is this?
- Huyo ni rafiki yangu. — That is my friend.
- Huyu ni ndugu yangu. — This is my relative.
- Huyu ni kaka yangu. — This is my brother.
- Huyu ni dada yangu. — This is my sister.
- Huyu ni mama yangu. — This is my mother.
- Huyu ni baba yangu. — This is my father.
- Una familia? — Do you have a family?
- Una watoto? — Do you have children?
- Nina mtoto mmoja. — I have one child.
- Nina watoto wawili. — I have two children.
- Huyu ni mume wangu. — This is my husband.
- Huyu ni mke wangu. — This is my wife.
- Huyu ni jirani yangu. — This is my neighbour.
- Rafiki yangu yuko hapa. — My friend is here.
Shopping and prices
- Hii ni bei gani? — How much is this?
- Ni kiasi gani? — How much?
- Bei yake ni gani? — What is its price?
- Ni ghali sana. — It is very expensive.
- Ni rahisi. — It is cheap / affordable.
- Unaweza kupunguza bei? — Can you reduce the price?
- Bei ya mwisho ni gani? — What is the final price?
- Nataka hii. — I want this.
- Sitaki hii. — I don’t want this.
- Ninataka kununua hii. — I want to buy this.
- Una nyingine? — Do you have another one?
- Una rangi nyingine? — Do you have another colour?
- Nina pesa kidogo. — I have little money.
- Nitalipa kwa simu. — I will pay by phone.
- Nitalipa kwa pesa taslimu. — I will pay in cash.
Food and restaurants
- Nina njaa. — I am hungry.
- Nina kiu. — I am thirsty.
- Nataka chakula. — I want food.
- Nataka maji. — I want water.
- Naomba maji, tafadhali. — Water, please.
- Chakula kiko tayari? — Is the food ready?
- Chakula ni kitamu. — The food is delicious.
- Chakula ni kizuri. — The food is good.
- Ninataka chai. — I want tea.
- Ninataka kahawa. — I want coffee.
- Naomba menyu. — May I have the menu?
- Mna chakula gani? — What food do you have?
- Hiki kina nyama? — Does this contain meat?
- Bila sukari, tafadhali. — Without sugar, please.
- Naomba bili. — The bill, please.
Travel and transport
- Kituo kiko wapi? — Where is the station?
- Basi linaenda wapi? — Where is the bus going?
- Gari linaenda wapi? — Where is the car going?
- Nataka kwenda mjini. — I want to go to town.
- Uwanja wa ndege uko wapi? — Where is the airport?
- Hoteli iko wapi? — Where is the hotel?
- Ni mbali? — Is it far?
- Ni karibu? — Is it near?
- Nitafika lini? — When will I arrive?
- Tafadhali simama hapa. — Please stop here.
- Nishushe hapa. — Drop me here.
- Twende. — Let’s go.
- Subiri hapa. — Wait here.
- Geuka kushoto. — Turn left.
- Geuka kulia. — Turn right.
Work and business
- Unafanya kazi wapi? — Where do you work?
- Ninafanya kazi Nairobi. — I work in Nairobi.
- Tuna mkutano leo. — We have a meeting today.
- Mkutano utaanza lini? — When will the meeting start?
- Nitakutumia ujumbe. — I will send you a message.
- Nitakupigia simu. — I will call you.
- Tafadhali nitumie barua pepe. — Please send me an email.
- Nimepokea ujumbe wako. — I have received your message.
- Tutazungumza baadaye. — We will talk later.
- Tutaonana kesho. — See you tomorrow.
School and learning
- Unasoma wapi? — Where do you study?
- Ninasoma Kiswahili. — I am studying Swahili.
- Mwalimu yuko wapi? — Where is the teacher?
- Darasa liko wapi? — Where is the classroom?
- Nina swali. — I have a question.
- Naomba ufafanuzi. — I would like clarification.
- Jibu ni gani? — What is the answer?
- Sielewi swali hili. — I don’t understand this question.
- Naweza kuuliza swali? — Can I ask a question?
- Nimejifunza jambo jipya. — I have learned something new.
Time and plans
- Leo. — Today.
- Jana. — Yesterday.
- Kesho. — Tomorrow.
- Tutaonana baadaye. — See you later.
- Kwa heri. — Goodbye.
How to learn these Swahili phrases
You do not need to memorise all 200 phrases at once.
Start with the phrases you are most likely to use. Greetings such as Habari?, Uko aje?, Asante, Tafadhali, Samahani and Karibu are useful almost immediately.
Next, learn phrases connected to your daily activities.
For example, if you are travelling, concentrate on directions, transport and hotels. If you are working in a Swahili-speaking environment, focus on workplace and communication phrases.
Learn phrases rather than isolated words
Instead of learning only:
Asante = Thank you
learn:
Asante sana = Thank you very much.
Instead of learning only:
Wapi = Where
learn:
Unaenda wapi? = Where are you going?
Learning complete phrases helps you understand how words work together.
Swahili pronunciation tips
Swahili pronunciation is generally more consistent than English pronunciation, which can make it easier for beginners.
The five vowels are:
a, e, i, o, u
They generally have consistent sounds.
For example:
- a – as in “father”
- e – similar to the vowel in “bed”
- i – similar to the vowel in “machine”
- o – similar to the vowel in “go”, depending on context
- u – similar to the vowel in “rule”
Remember that pronunciation can vary slightly between speakers and regions.
Standard Swahili and everyday Kenyan Swahili
If you are learning Swahili in Kenya, you will encounter both standard Kiswahili and informal everyday speech.
Standard Kiswahili is widely used in education, official communication, formal writing and professional settings.
Everyday Kenyan speech may include shortened expressions, English words and Sheng.
For example, you may hear niaje, sasa, poa or other informal expressions among friends.