Kiswahili, is a Bantu language and the native language of the Swahili people.
It is the official language in Tanzania and Kenya. It is a lingua franca of the African Great Lakes region and other parts of East and Southern Africa, including
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Rwanda
- Burundi
- Kenya,
Also spoken in some parts of:
- Malawi
- Somalia
- Zambia
- Mozambique
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
KiSwahili is spoken by an estimated 80 million people in East and Central Africa.
The vast majority of speakers of KiSwahili are native speakers of other African languages and use KiSwahili as a lingua franca.
After Arabic, KiSwahili is the most widely understood language in Africa.
Some useful words / phrases:
| ENGLISH | KISWAHILI | ENGLISH | KISWAHILI |
| Hello | jambo! / hujambo! | Wildebeest | nyumbu |
| How are you? | habari? / mambo vipi? (conf.) | Cheetah | duma |
| I’m fine (reply) | salama / nzuri / poa (conf.) | Hippopotamus | kiboko |
| What about you | na wewe? | Buffalo | mbogo |
| Good | salama / nzuri / sawa / safi | Rhinoceros | kifaru |
| Thanks | Asante | Giraffe | twiga |
| You’re welcome | Karibu | Antelope / gazelle | swala |
| Yes | ndiyo | Zebra | punda milia |
| No | hapana | Warthog | ngiri |
| Please | tafadhali | Crocodile | mamba |
| Goodbye | kwa heri | Serpent | nyoka |
| I’d like (when ordering in shops) | naomba | Baboon | nyani |
| How much/how many? | ngapi? | House | nyumba |
| How much does it cost? | shillingapi? / bei? | Room | chumba |
| Where? | wapi? | Hut | kibanda |
| When? | lini? | Bed | kitanda |
| Here | hapa | Mountain | mlima |
| There | kule | Sea | bahari |
| One | moja | Food | chakula |
