Basic Swahili words for beginners

– Essential words to know –

Learn the essentials of Swahili easily with this vocabulary list that contains all the most basic words used in Swahili, with their english translations. If you’re a beginner, it will come in handy to review or learn Swahili by yourself before traveling, or if you want to enrich and improve your Swahili vocabulary to better express yourself in writing and speaking!

Do you spot any errors or want to add a vocabulary word to the list? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment to improve the site!

ENGLISH	SWAHILI
Please	Tafadhali
Thank you!	Asante!
Sorry!	Samahani!
What?	Kile?
Who?	Ambao?
When?	Wakati?
Why?	Sababu?
Which?	Ambayo?
How?	Jinsi?
Where ?	Ambapo?
How much ?	Kiasi gani?
Yes	Ndiyo
No	La
Maybe	Labda
Of course	Bila shaka
something	Kitu
nothing	Kitu
somebody	Mtu
nobody	Hakuna
before	Kabla
after	Baada
far	Mbali
near	Karibu
here	Hapa
there	Huko
today	Leo
tomoorow	kesho
now	Sasa
man	Mtu
woman	Mwanamke
friend	Rafiki
more	Zaidi
less	Chini
always	Daima
later	Baadaye
never	Kamwe
same	Sawa
different	Tofauti
small	Ndogo
large	Kubwa
difficult	Vigumu
easy	Rahisi
hot	Moto
cold	Baridi
yesterday	Jana
after	Baada
beautiful	Nzuri
broken	Kuvunjwa
free	Bure
a pharmacy	duka la dawa
money	Fedha
a bag	mfuko
a lighter	nyepesi
a cigarette	sigara
a bottle	chupa
soap	Sabuni
clean	Safi
dirty	Chafu
a trash can	kopo la takataka
a trash bag	mfuko wa takataka
the silence	Ukimya
a tool	chombo
pregnant	Wajawazito
sick	Wagonjwa
a baby	mtoto
a little bit	Kidogo tu
a doctor	daktari
a dentist	daktari wa meno
a medicine	dawa
a book	kitabu
a story	hadithi
a phone	simu
a computer	kompyuta
a car	gari
a plane	ndege
the name	jina
the adress	Adress
the age	umri
the nationality	Utaifa
a choice	uchaguzi
an answer	Jibu
the key	Ufunguo
the light	Nuru
the television	Televisheni
the bed	kitanda
the house	Nyumba
the shower	Kuoga
the window	dirisha
the door	Mlango
the table	Jedwali
tired	Uchovu
water	Maji
open	Fungua
closed	Imefungwa
clothes	Nguo
coffee	Kahawa
tea	Chai
lunch	chakula cha mchana
dinner	chakula cha jioni
a fruit	tunda
a vegetable	mboga
a beverage	kinywaji
a child	mtoto
rain	Mvua
the entrance	mlango wa kuingilia
the exit	Kutoka
music	Muziki
a smile	tabasamu
the world	Ulimwengu
the sky	Anga
a river	mto
the sea	Bahari
the mountain	Mlima
the lake	ziwa
the island	Kisiwa
the beach	Pwani

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