Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The purpose of this list is to give a rough idea of the Swahili language. The words listed below
are not the most common words, but a broad sampling of words. See the Word Lists page for
more details.
English
Swahili
(kiswahili)
mimi
you (singular)
wewe
he
yeye
we
sisi
you (plural)
nyinyi
they
wao
this
that
here
hapa
there
pale
who
nani *(interrogative)*
what
nini *(interrogative)*
where
when
lini *(interrogative)*
how
vipi *(interrogative)*
not
si
all
-ote
many
some
baadhi ya / chache
few
kidogo
other
-ingine
one
moja
two
mbili
three
tatu
four
nne
five
tano
big
-kubwa
long
-refu
wide
-pana
thick
-nene
heavy
-zito
small
-dogo
short
-fupi
narrow
-embamba
thin
-anana
woman
bibi, gashi
mwanamume
mtu
child
mtoto
wife
mke
husband
mume
mother
mama
father
baba
animal
mnyama
fish
samaki
bird
ndege
dog
mbwa
louse
chawa
snake
nyoka
worm
funza, uchango
tree
mti
forest
msitu
stick
fimbo
fruit
tunda
seed
mbegu
leaf
jani
root
mzizi
gamba
flower
ua
grass
nyasi
rope
kamba
skin
ngozi
meat
nyama
blood
damu
bone
mfupa
fat (noun)
mori
egg
yai
horn
pembe
tail
mkia
feather
unyoya
hair
nywele
head
kichwa
ear
sikio
eye
jicho
nose
pua
mouth
kinywa
tooth
jino
tongue (organ)
ulimi
fingernail
ukucha
foot
mguu
leg
mguu
knee
goti
hand
mkono
wing
bawa, ubawa
belly
tumbo
guts
utumbo
neck
shingo
back
mgongo
breast
kifua
heart
moyo
liver
ini
to drink
-nywa
to eat
-la
to bite
-donoa
to suck
-amwa
to spit
-tema
to vomit
-tapika
to blow
-puliza
to breathe
-pumua
to laugh
-cheka
to see
-ona
to hear
-sikia
to know
-fahamu, -jua
to think
to smell
-nukilia
to fear
-ogopa
to sleep
-lala
to live
to die
-fa
to kill
-ua
to fight
-pigana
to hunt
-winda
to hit
-gonga, -piga
to cut
-kata
to split
-pasua
to stab
-choma
to scratch
-kuna, -parua
to dig
-chimba
to swim
-ogelea
to fly
-paa
to walk
-tembea
to come
-ja
-gona *(action)*
to sit
-kaa
to stand
-simama *(action)*
to turn (intransitive)
-pindua
to fall
-anguka
to give
-pa
to hold
-shika
to squeeze
to rub
-sugua
to wash
-safisha
to wipe
-futa
to pull
-vuta
to push
-guta
to throw
-tupa
to tie
-funga
to sew
-shona
to count
-hesabu
to say
-sema
to sing
-imba
to play
-cheza
to float
-elea
to flow
-tiririka
to freeze
-ganda
to swell
-fura
sun
jua
moon
mwezi
star
nyota
water
maji
rain
mvua
river
mto
lake
ziwa
sea
bahari
salt
chumvi
stone
jiwe
sand
mchanga
dust
vumbi
earth
ardhi
cloud
wingu
fog
ukungu
sky
mbingu
wind
homu
snow
theluji
ice
barafu
smoke
moshi
fire
moto
ash
majivu
to burn
-waka
road
njia, barabara
mountain
mlima
red
-ekundu
green
kijani
yellow
manjano
white
-eupe
black
-eusi
night
usiku
day
siku
year
mwaka
warm
moto
cold
baridi
full
-nene
new
-pya
old
-zee
good
-ema
bad
-baya
rotten
-bovu
dirty
-chafu
straight
nyofu
round
duara
chungu
butu
smooth
-ororo
wet
kimaji
dry
-kavu
correct
sahihi
near
karibu
far
mbali
right
kuume, kulia