Swahili	English
habari	news / how are you? (lit. what's the news?)
habari gani?	how are you? (what news?)
nzuri	fine / good
asante	thank you
asante sana	thank you very much
tafadhali	please
samahani	sorry / excuse me
ndio	yes
hapana / la	no
karibu	welcome / you're welcome / come in
karibu sana	very welcome
hujambo?	hello (to one person — lit. you have no trouble?)
sijambo	I'm fine (reply — lit. I have no trouble)
hamjambo?	hello (to a group)
hatujambo	we're fine (group reply)
kwaheri	goodbye (to one)
kwa heri ya kuonana	goodbye — see you again
mimi	I / me
wewe	you (singular)
yeye	he / she
sisi	we / us
ninyi	you (plural)
wao	they / them
mama	mother
baba	father
ndugu	sibling / relative / comrade
rafiki	friend
familia	family
mtoto	child
watoto	children
mtu	person
watu	people
mwanaume	man
mwanamke	woman
mzee	elder / old person
daktari	doctor
maji	water
chakula	food
ugali	stiff porridge (staple food, like nsima)
wali	cooked rice
mchele	uncooked rice
mkate	bread
nyama	meat
samaki	fish
kuku	chicken
mboga	vegetables
sukari	sugar
chumvi	salt
mafuta	oil / fat
maziwa	milk
chai	tea
kahawa	coffee
ndizi	banana
embe	mango
machungwa	orange
pombe	beer / alcoholic drink
ng'ombe	cow / cattle
mbuzi	goat
nguruwe	pig
farasi	horse
simba	lion
tembo	elephant
twiga	giraffe
kiboko	hippopotamus
chui	leopard
nyoka	snake
ndege	bird
mbwa	dog
paka	cat
nyumbani	at home / domestic
jua	sun
mwezi	moon / month
nyota	star
upepo	wind
mvua	rain
wingu	cloud
moto	fire
mchanga	sand
mawe	rocks / stones
mto	river
bahari	sea / ocean
ziwa	lake
mlima	mountain
mwitu	forest
kichwa	head
macho	eyes
masikio	ears
pua	nose
mdomo	mouth
meno	teeth
mkono	hand / arm
mguu	leg / foot
tumbo	stomach
moyo	heart
mwili	body
shingo	neck
mgongo	back
leo	today
kesho	tomorrow
jana	yesterday
siku	day
usiku	night
asubuhi	morning
jioni	evening
mchana	noon / midday
mwaka	year
wiki	week
Jumapili	Sunday
Jumatatu	Monday
Jumanne	Tuesday
Jumatano	Wednesday
Alhamisi	Thursday (from Arabic al-khamis)
Ijumaa	Friday (from Arabic al-Jumu'ah — day of congregation)
Jumamosi	Saturday
moja	one
mbili	two
tatu	three
nne	four
tano	five
sita	six (from Arabic sitta)
saba	seven (from Arabic sab'a)
nane	eight
tisa	nine (from Arabic tis'a)
kumi	ten
kumi na moja	eleven
ishirini	twenty
thelathini	thirty
mia	one hundred
elfu	one thousand
nyekundu	red
nyeupe	white
nyeusi	black
kijani	green
bluu / samawati	blue
njano	yellow
kahawia	brown
kwenda	to go
kuja	to come
kula	to eat
kunywa	to drink
kulala	to sleep
kuona	to see
kusikia	to hear
kusema	to say / to speak
kuuliza	to ask
kuambia	to tell
kusaidia	to help
kutaka	to want
kupenda	to love / to like
kuchukia	to hate
kukaa	to stay / to sit
kuimba	to sing
kucheza	to play
kufanya kazi	to work
kuomba	to ask for / to pray
kujibu	to answer / to reply
kutoa	to give / to take out
kuchukua	to take
kufika	to arrive
kutoka	to come from / to leave
kuingia	to enter
kununua	to buy
kuuza	to sell
kujifunza	to learn
kufundisha	to teach
kulia	to cry
kucheka	to laugh
nyumba	house / home
mji	city / town
kijiji	village
barabara	road / street
gari	car
treni	train
kazi	work / job
pesa / fedha	money
soko	market
hospitali	hospital
shule	school
kanisa	church
serikali	government
lugha	language
Kiswahili	the Swahili language
Kingereza	English
Kifaransa	French
maneno	words
sentensi	sentence
kitabu	book
Sijui	I don't know
Naomba…	I would like… / Please…
Ninaenda…	I am going to…
Habari za asubuhi	Good morning (morning news)
Lala salama	Good night / sleep well
Pole	Sorry (sympathy) / I'm sorry
Pole pole	slowly / take it easy
Hakuna matata	no problem / no worries
Inshallah / Mungu akipenda	God willing
karibu Afrika Mashariki	welcome to East Africa
nyinyi / ninyi	you (plural)
huyu	this (person)
hawa	these (people)
yule	that (person)
hii	this
hizi	these
ile	that
zile	those
hapa	here
pale	there
huko	over there / that place
nani?	who?
nini?	what?
lini?	when?
wapi?	where?
vipi?	how? / what's up?
kwa nini?	why?
ngapi?	how many? / how much?
gani?	which? / what kind?
je?	(question marker)
na	and / with / by
au	or
lakini	but
kwa sababu	because
kwa	to / for / by / with
katika	in / at / on
ndani ya	inside
nje ya	outside
juu ya	on top of / about
chini ya	under / below
mbele ya	in front of
nyuma ya	behind
karibu na	near
mbali na	far from
kati ya	between / among
baada ya	after
kabla ya	before
pamoja na	together with
bila	without
kuhusu	about / concerning
kama	if / like / as
ili	so that / in order to
basi	so / then / well
pia	also / too
tena	again / moreover
bado	still / not yet
tu	only / just
sana	very / a lot
kidogo	a little / a bit
zaidi	more
sasa	now
halafu	then / afterwards
kufanya	to do / to make
kuwa	to be / to become
kuwa na	to have
kupata	to get / to obtain
kujua	to know
kufikiri	to think
kuelewa	to understand
kuangalia	to look at / to watch
kusoma	to read / to study
kuandika	to write
kuamka	to wake up
kusimama	to stand / to stop
kutembea	to walk
kukimbia	to run
kuruka	to jump / to fly
kuondoka	to leave / to depart
kurudi	to return
kupanda	to climb / to board / to plant
kushuka	to descend / to get off
kuleta	to bring
kupeleka	to send / to take to
kulipa	to pay
kufungua	to open
kufunga	to close / to tie / to fast
kupika	to cook
kuosha	to wash (things)
kuoga	to bathe
kusafisha	to clean
kuvaa	to wear / to put on
kungoja / kusubiri	to wait
kuita	to call
kuanza	to begin
kumaliza	to finish
kuacha	to stop / to leave / to quit
kusahau	to forget
kukumbuka	to remember
kufurahi	to be happy
kuogopa	to fear / to be afraid
kuhitaji	to need
kuweza	to be able / can
kujaribu	to try
kushinda	to win / to overcome
kushindwa	to fail / to be unable
kufa	to die
kuzaa	to give birth / to bear fruit
kuishi	to live
kuondoa	to remove
kuweka	to put / to place / to keep
kupanga	to arrange / to plan
kubadilisha	to change
kuonyesha	to show
kuficha	to hide
kupiga	to hit / to strike
kupiga simu	to make a phone call
kupiga picha	to take a photo
kuvuta	to pull / to smoke
kusukuma	to push
kushika	to hold / to grab
kutupa	to throw
kukata	to cut
kujenga	to build
kuvunja	to break
kutengeneza	to make / to fix
kubwa	big / large
dogo	small
refu	tall / long
fupi	short
zuri	good / beautiful
baya	bad
pya / mpya	new
zee / kuukuu	old (things)
zima	whole / healthy / alive
gumu	hard / difficult
rahisi	easy / cheap
nzito	heavy
epesi	light (weight) / easy
tamu	sweet / tasty
chungu	bitter
baridi	cold
safi	clean / pure / cool
chafu	dirty
kavu	dry
maji maji / -bichi	wet / raw / unripe
tele	plenty / abundant
chache	few
nyingi	many / much
-ote	all / whole
-ingine	other / another
sawa	same / equal / okay
tofauti	different
tayari	ready / already
kweli	true / real
uongo	lie / false
rangi	colour
arobaini	forty
hamsini	fifty
sitini	sixty
sabini	seventy
themanini	eighty
tisini	ninety
nusu	half
robo	quarter
kwanza	first
pili	second
mwisho	last
saa	hour / clock / time / watch
dakika	minute
sekunde	second (time)
adhuhuri	noon
alfajiri	dawn
wakati	time / period
mara	time(s) / once
mara nyingi	often
mara moja	at once / immediately
daima / siku zote	always
kamwe / kabisa	never / completely
juzi	the day before yesterday
kesho kutwa	the day after tomorrow
Januari	January
Disemba	December
mwanamume	man
mvulana	boy
msichana	girl
kijana	youth / young person
bibi	grandmother / lady
babu	grandfather
mume	husband
mke	wife
mtoto wa kiume	son
mtoto wa kike	daughter
jirani	neighbour
mgeni	guest / stranger / visitor
mwalimu	teacher
mwanafunzi	student
mganga	healer / doctor
polisi	police
dereva	driver
mfanyakazi	worker / employee
mkulima	farmer
mfanyabiashara	trader / businessperson
rais	president
jina	name
taifa	nation
uso	face
jicho / macho	eye / eyes
sikio / masikio	ear / ears
jino / meno	tooth / teeth
ulimi	tongue
kidole	finger / toe
damu	blood
nywele	hair
ngozi	skin
mlango	door
dirisha	window
chumba	room
meza	table
kiti	chair
kitanda	bed
jiko	kitchen / stove
choo	toilet
sakafu	floor
ukuta	wall
paa	roof
kikombe	cup
sahani	plate
kijiko	spoon
uma	fork
kisu	knife
sufuria	pot
chupa	bottle
mkoba / begi	bag
kalamu	pen
karatasi	paper
simu	phone
televisheni / runinga	television
redio	radio
taa	lamp / light
nguo	clothes
shati	shirt
suruali	trousers
viatu	shoes
kofia	hat / cap
saa ya mkono	wristwatch
matunda	fruit
chungwa	orange
nanasi	pineapple
nazi	coconut
yai / mayai	egg / eggs
viazi	potatoes
nyanya	tomato
kitunguu	onion
dunia	world / earth
njia	path / way
duka	shop
msikiti	mosque
benki	bank
shamba	farm / field
mawingu	clouds
anga / mbingu	sky
ardhi	land / ground
mti / miti	tree / trees
ua / maua	flower / flowers
jiwe / mawe	stone / stones
mwamba	rock
theluji	snow
mnyama / wanyama	animal / animals
kondoo	sheep
punda	donkey
nyani	baboon
sokwe	chimpanzee / ape
panya	rat / mouse
mbu	mosquito
nzi	fly
nyuki	bee
jambo / mambo	matter / thing / affair
kitu / vitu	thing / things
swali / maswali	question / questions
jibu / majibu	answer / answers
neno / maneno	word / words
maisha	life
kifo	death
upendo / mapenzi	love
amani	peace
vita	war
nguvu	strength / power
uhuru	freedom
haki	right / justice
sheria	law
dini	religion
Mungu	God
furaha	joy / happiness
huzuni	sadness
hofu / woga	fear
hasira	anger
maumivu	pain
afya	health
ugonjwa	illness / disease
dawa	medicine
elimu	education
bei	price
faida	profit / benefit
hasara	loss
safari	journey / trip
meli	ship
baiskeli	bicycle
pikipiki	motorcycle
abiria	passenger
tikiti	ticket
ndiyo	yes (that's right)
labda	maybe / perhaps
haraka	quickly / fast