15 Swahili words to know before traveling to East Africa
Travelling in East Africa cannot always be compared to being like a walk in the park; knowing a touch of Swahili prior to your safari will endear the locals toward you and make things a tad bit easier.
1. Jambo – “Hello”
2. Habari – Also “Hello/Good Morning” When addressing an older individual
3. Nzuri – “Fine / Good / Beautiful”
4. Asante – “Thank You!” This will be used in most your conversations
5. Sana – “Very” Asante Sane – Thank you VERY much!
6. Pole – “Sorry” This applies to everything from dropping something, falling or sneezing.
7. Pole Pole – “Slowly, Slowly”
8. Nydio – “Yes”
9. Hapana – “No”
10. Safari – “Journey”
11. Tafadhali – “Please”
12. Rafiki – “Friend”
13. Maji – “Water”
14. Chakula – “Food”
15. Hatari – “Danger” This could mean that there is an elephant in the camp or it could be on a warning sign for drunk driving.
Note: Numerous people in East Africa do speak English, and in the smaller village’s one may come across that only an ethnic language is spoken. There are also various different regions within East Africa, meaning that there are various different dialects of this language.
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