Swahili (Kiswahili) for Travelers

Swahili (or Kiswahili) is the most widely spoken language in sub-Saharan Africa. Over 70 million people speak Swahili although only about 1 million people consider it their mother tongue. If you're traveling to East Africa, especially Kenya or Tanzania, knowing a few words of Swahili will really enhance your experience. If you learn some basic greetings in Swahili, your interactions will be that much more rewarding. Knowing basic numbers in Swahili will really help you when you're bargaining with a taxi driver or shopkeeper.

I've put together a list of useful Swahili words and phrases for the traveler to East Africa. There's also a section that tells you a little about the origins of Swahili; where to find Swahili language schools; Swahili online courses; Swahili media resources and more.

While writing this article I was amazed how much Swahili I remembered from when I was a young girl living in Kenya. It's a simple language to learn and pronounce. It's also a lot of fun guessing the Swahili words for some of the more "modern" items that are frequently derived from English words: Beer is bia; cream is kirimu; chocolate is chokoleti. The word "safari" is of course one that is of Swahili origin and we now use regularly in the English language.