Asante Sana

Saying "thank you" in a local language when you're traveling in Africa will definitely help you connect with the people around you. Too often visitors make little effort to learn a few words in Arabic, Swahili or Chichewa and rely on everyone else to speak French, Portuguese or English. But it's worth the effort. You'll be using "thank you" a lot because you'll be helped a lot and you'll be buying things and asking how to get to places. I've compiled a little list of "thank you's" in over 30 languages and while this covers a fraction of the thousands of languages spoken in Africa, it should work for most African destinations.

More About African Languages:

• What is Spoken Where in Africa
• KiSwahili for Travelers
• African Greetings
• African Proverbs

_{Shukran, Marrakech, Morocco -- © Sjaak Zijlma}