Swahili Language

Swahili also known as Kiswahili is a language spoken in Burundi, Comoros, Congo drc, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda by the Waswahili people.

Swahili language has approximately 100,000,000 native speakers.

A person who speaks Swahili is known as Mswahili(singular) and Waswahili(plural).

Swahili is an official language in Kenya and Tanzania.

The language has 3 dialects; Kiunguja (Spoken in Zanzibar and mailand Tanzania), Kimvita(Mombasa) and Kiamu(spoken in Lamu).

Swahili is the easiest African Language to learn. It is also straightforward to read as you read out Swahili words just how they are written.

Begin your journey to understand the Swahili language with Sarufi ya Kiswahili. This resource covers the essentials, from parts of speech to sentences and sounds, making learning the language a breeze.

Learn everyday and popular Swahili language phrases and their meaning in English, including greetings, directions, love words and many day-to-day conversations.

Top it up by learning how to count 1-1000 in Swahili.

Dictionary of popular Swahili words

Help Keep Swahili Alive

Join 1,000+ speakers preserving different African languages for future generations

The Future of Swahili Is In Our Hands

Every day, new words shape our world - from artificial intelligence to blockchain, from climate change to social media.

While languages like English grow and adapt, what about Swahili?

How do we explain quantum computing in Swahili?

What's the word for 'cryptocurrency'?

Without action today, how will future generations express tomorrow's ideas in Swahili?

The Choice Is Yours

If not you, who will keep Swahili alive?

If not now, when will we start?

If not here, where will it happen?

This is our language. This is our responsibility.

Our Mission

We're building a living bridge between tradition and innovation - documenting and growing African languages for the digital age. Every word you contribute helps preserve our cultural heritage while preparing it for the future.

Be Part of the Movement

Join hundreds of native speakers who are already making history. Every definition you add, every phrase you explain, becomes your legacy in keeping Swahili vibrant and relevant.

Start Contributing Today

Choose how you'd like to help preserve Swahili

Add New Words

Share words and their meanings

Share Tongue Twisters

Preserve oral traditions

First time here? See our quick guide

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Whether you want to become a sponsor, provide recordings, share written materials, or suggest improvements, we'd love to hear from you.

This page was last updated on May 9, 2025