Learn Swahili Basics
Such as hakuna matata, festival of Kwanzaa and Jenga the wooden bricks game.
Africa is the second most populous and the second largest continent in the world spanning a staggering 30.3 Kilometer square. It is home to over 1.3 Billion genetically diverse people who speak over 2000 different languages among them Swahili or Kiswahili which is native to the Swahili people or Waswahili.
Although spoken more predominantly in the eastern parts of the continent Swahili has over the past years gained traction and managed to spread to the central and southern parts of the continent covering an area more than half of Sub-Saharan Africa, with albeit different but slight variations.
Thanks to its adaptive and comprehensible nature, Swahili has gained momentum and recently managed to clinch the top spot to become the most spoken language in Africa. Moreover, its popularity is not only growing rapidly in the continent but abroad too, precisely in western countries where phrases such as Hakuna matata (no worries) appear in Disney’s The Lion King.
Another notable use of a Swahili word is by the British game designer Leslie Scott who created Jenga (build), the famous wooden block game. Last but no not least is the American Festival observed annually from December 26th to January 1st known as Kwanzaa derived from the Swahili word Kwanza which means first.
As you can see Swahili is a very appealing language that’s easy to learn and apply without having to know a lot about its syntax. This is precisely why I have compiled phrases and words that can help you build you vocabulary and if you are lucky, coin the next viral Swahili phrase.
Tip: Swahili vowels are pronounced similarly to Spanish vowels and the words are read as is.
1. Greetings and Farewell (Maamkizi). Greetings (Salamu). Farewell (Kwaheri)
2. Time (Wakati)
3. Courtesy (Heshima)
4. Numbers (Nambari)
5. Family (Familia)
6. Food (Chakula)
7. Universe (Ulimwengu)
8. Directions (Mwelekeo)
9. Sports (Michezo)
10. General (Jumla)
If you find a particular word hard to pronounce break down the word into small bits ending mostly with vowels then read the word and hopefully it will make sense.
Example: Say you are having trouble with Hakuna maji (No water), simply break it down like this and remember how the vowels sound:
Ha-ku-na ma-ji the bits of words ending with vowel -a sound like you would pronounce ma- in mama except with different consonants preceding them. The ku- sounds like mu- in the pronunciation of the English word moon. The -ji- sounds like the English letter G.
May the odds of the Swahili vowels be ever in your favor!
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