Travel phrases

Essential Swahili travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Swahili phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Habari? to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Swahili speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Swahili travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Habari? (hello), Tafadhali (please), Asante sana (thank you very much), and Choo kiko wapi? (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Swahili phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Swahili speakers really use, not an English list translated into Swahili, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Swahili phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Habari? Hello hah-BAH-ree The everyday greeting, literally what news. Answered with Nzuri or Safi
  2. 2 Habari za asubuhi? Good morning hah-BAH-ree zah ah-soo-BOO-hee Za mchana in the afternoon, za jioni in the evening
  3. 3 Shikamoo Greeting to an elder shee-kah-MOH Said by the young to anyone clearly older, above all in Tanzania; in Kenya mostly on the coast. Answered with Marahaba
  4. 4 Mambo? What's up? MAHM-boh Casual, between young people. Answered with Poa or Safi
  5. 5 Tutaonana See you later too-tah-oh-NAH-nah The everyday parting, literally we will see each other; Kwaheri is the plain goodbye and just as common
  6. 6 Asante sana Thank you very much ah-SAHN-teh SAH-nah Answered with Karibu, meaning you are welcome
  7. 7 Ndiyo / Hapana Yes / No NDEE-yoh, hah-PAH-nah
  8. 8 Samahani Excuse me, sorry sah-mah-HAH-nee Opens a question to a stranger and apologises for a bump
  9. 9 Tafadhali Please tah-fah-THAH-lee Far rarer than English please; Swahili politeness lives in the greeting
  10. 10 Sielewi I don't understand see-eh-LEH-wee
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Habari? Hello hah-BAH-ree The everyday greeting, literally what news. Answered with Nzuri or Safi
Habari za asubuhi? Good morning hah-BAH-ree zah ah-soo-BOO-hee Za mchana in the afternoon, za jioni in the evening
Shikamoo Greeting to an elder shee-kah-MOH Said by the young to anyone clearly older, above all in Tanzania; in Kenya mostly on the coast. Answered with Marahaba
Mambo? What's up? MAHM-boh Casual, between young people. Answered with Poa or Safi
Tutaonana See you later too-tah-oh-NAH-nah The everyday parting, literally we will see each other; Kwaheri is the plain goodbye and just as common

Basics

Asante sana Thank you very much ah-SAHN-teh SAH-nah Answered with Karibu, meaning you are welcome
Ndiyo / Hapana Yes / No NDEE-yoh, hah-PAH-nah
Samahani Excuse me, sorry sah-mah-HAH-nee Opens a question to a stranger and apologises for a bump
Tafadhali Please tah-fah-THAH-lee Far rarer than English please; Swahili politeness lives in the greeting
Sielewi I don't understand see-eh-LEH-wee
Unasema Kiingereza? Do you speak English? oo-nah-SEH-mah kee-in-geh-REH-zah

Getting around

Choo kiko wapi? Where is the toilet? CHOH KEE-koh WAH-pee Choo is the plain everyday word, understood everywhere
Kituo cha daladala kiko wapi? Where is the minibus stop? kee-TOO-oh chah dah-lah-DAH-lah KEE-koh WAH-pee Daladala in Tanzania, matatu in Kenya: the shared minibus everyone rides
Nashuka hapa I'm getting off here nah-SHOO-kah HAH-pah Say it to the conductor on a daladala or matatu; a shouted Shusha does the same
Nauli ni shilingi ngapi? How much is the fare? nah-OO-lee nee shee-LEEN-gee NGAH-pee Agree the fare before you get on a bodaboda motorbike or in a taxi
Nataka kwenda mjini I want to go into town nah-TAH-kah KWEN-dah m-JEE-nee

Eating out

Kuna chakula gani leo? What food is there today? KOO-nah chah-KOO-lah GAH-nee LEH-oh Small places cook a few dishes a day and have no menu to hand you
Naomba nyama choma Some grilled meat, please nah-OHM-bah NYAH-mah CHOH-mah Naomba, I ask for, is how you order. Nyama choma is the thing to eat
Naomba maji ya chupa Bottled water, please nah-OHM-bah MAH-jee yah CHOO-pah
Kitamu sana Very tasty kee-TAH-moo SAH-nah Said about the food; Chakula kitamu sana is the full sentence
Naomba bili The bill, please nah-OHM-bah BEE-lee

Shopping

Bei gani? How much is it? BAY GAH-nee Cash or mobile money like M-Pesa; cards mainly in hotels and supermarkets
Punguza bei Lower the price poon-GOO-zah BAY Bargaining is expected at markets and with taxis, not in shops
Ghali sana Too expensive GHAH-lee SAH-nah
Naangalia tu I'm just looking nah-ahn-gah-LEE-ah too

Emergencies

Msaada! Help! m-sah-AH-dah What you shout; Nisaidie asks one particular person for help
Piga simu polisi! Call the police! PEE-gah SEE-moo poh-LEE-see
Nahitaji daktari I need a doctor nah-hee-TAH-jee dahk-TAH-ree
Nimepotea I'm lost nee-meh-poh-TEH-ah

Locals say

Karibu Welcome, come in kah-REE-boo Said to every guest and over every meal. Answered with Asante
Pole Sorry that happened POH-leh Sympathy for any misfortune, big or tiny. Not an apology for your own fault
Pole pole Slowly, take it easy POH-leh POH-leh Said to anyone rushing or struggling uphill; the pace of the place
Hakuna shida No problem hah-KOO-nah SHEE-dah The everyday form, Hamna shida in Tanzania; hakuna matata is real Swahili but now sounds touristy
Pole na kazi Respect for your hard work POH-leh nah KAH-zee Literally sorry for the work: said to anyone working, a market seller, a porter, a cook. Answered with Asante

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Habari? next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Tafadhali and Asante sana feel automatic, the next step is a real Swahili sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

Start reading Swahili with Lingo7 →

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Not sure of your Swahili level? Take the CEFR test (A1-C2) →

How long does it take to learn Swahili? →

Compare Swahili to other languages by difficulty →

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Swahili phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Habari? (hello), Tafadhali (please), Asante sana (thank you very much), Choo kiko wapi? (where is the toilet?), and Msaada! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Swahili locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Swahili for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Karibu (welcome, come in), Pole (sorry that happened), Pole pole (slowly, take it easy). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Swahili phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Habari? and Asante sana a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Swahili?

In Swahili, hello is Habari? (pronounced hah-BAH-ree) and thank you is Asante sana (ah-SAHN-teh SAH-nah). Add Tafadhali (please) and Tutaonana (see you later), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Swahili?

Ask Choo kiko wapi? (pronounced CHOH KEE-koh WAH-pee), which means "where is the toilet?" in Swahili. If you only catch part of the reply, Sielewi (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Swahili before traveling?

No, but a dozen Swahili phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Habari? and Asante sana instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Swahili is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.