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| Swahili Vocabulary |
English and Swahili are the official languages of Kenya though many other ethnic African languages are widely spoken. The term Swahili derives from the Arab word 'sahel', meaning coast, and is the lingua franca of East Africa.
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Your visit to Lions Bluff will be enhanced by the knowledge of a few words in Swahili such as: |
English |
Swahili |
| Hello |
Jambo |
| How are you |
habari |
| Welcome |
karibu |
| Goodbye |
kwaheri |
| Please |
tafadhali |
| Thank you |
asante |
| Yes |
ndio |
| No |
hapana |
| No problem |
hakuna matata |
| Today |
leo |
| Tomorrow |
kesho |
| Slowly |
pole pole |
| Where? |
wapi |
| Animal |
mnyama |
| Antelope |
pofu |
| Bush buck |
pongo/paa |
| Eland |
pofu |
| Gazelle |
swala/swara/paa |
| Klippspringer |
Mbuzi mawe |
| Waterbuck |
kuru |
| Cheetah |
duma |
| Civet |
fungo |
| Hyena |
fisi |
| Jackal |
mbweha |
| Leopard |
chui |
| Lion |
simba |
| Mongoose |
nguchiro |
| Buffalo |
nyati |
| Giraffe |
twiga |
| Hippo |
kiboko |
| Hyrax |
pimbi |
| Rhino |
Kifaru |
| Warthog |
ngiri |
| Zebra |
punda milia |
| Bird |
ndege |
| Flamingo |
heroe |
| Ostrich |
mbuni |
| Insects |
wadudu |
| Spider |
buibui |
| Army ants |
siafu |
| Centipede |
tandu |
| Mosquitoe(s) |
mbu |
| Baboon |
nyani |
| Monkey |
tumbili |
| Python |
chatu |
| Snake |
nyoka |
| Lake |
ziwa |
| Forest |
pori/msitu |
| Tree |
mti |
| Waterfall |
mporomoko wa maji |
| Don't get out of the car |
Hapana toka gari |
| Pups/cubs |
watoto |
| Look there! |
Tazama pale! |
| Danger! |
Hatari! |
| Help! |
Saidia! |
| Trouble |
Taabu! |
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