Swahili

Swahili Translation, Resources, and Discussion

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Swahili:English:
kaa ya pwani crab
kabila tribe
kabisa entirely
kabisa wholly
kabla ya, mbele ya before
kabla ya, mbele ya in front of
kahawa coffee
kaka, ndugu brother
kalamu feather
kalamu pencil
kalamu plume
kali sharp
kali, chungu acerbic
kama how
kama in what way
kama like
kama such a
kama such as
kama what a
kama, kwa sababu as
kama, nini, nani that
kamili absolute
kamili complete
kanisa church building
kanisa church
kanisa house of worship
kanisa place of worship
karakana, kiwanda factory
karani clerk
karatasi paper
karibu nearby
kaskazini North
kati ya among
kati ya between
katika, ndani ya a
katika, ndani ya in
katika, ndani ya into
katika, ndani ya within
katika, ndani ya, ili per
katika, ndani ya, ndani inside
katikati across
katikati beyond
katikati on the other side of
katikati rather
kavu dry
kazi job
kazi work
kelele ado
kelele din
kelele noise
kenda, tisa nine
Kenya Kenya
kesho tomorrow
kesho kutwa the day after tomorrow
kiatu shoe
kiazi potato
kibanda cabin
kibanda hut
kibanda shack
kiboko hippo
kiboko hippopotamus
kichwa head
kichwa pate
kidole finger
kidole toe
kidonda sore
kidonda ulcer
kifaru rhino
kifaru rhinoceros
kifua bosom
kifua breast
kifua chest
kifungua kopo can opener
kifungua kopo tin opener
kifuniko cover
kifuniko hood
kifuniko lid
kijana youngster
kijana youth
kijiji, mji village
kijito stream
kikapu basket
kiko pipe
kikombe cup
kilima, mlima hill
kilo kilo
kilometa kilometre
kinanda cha mkono accordion
kioo glass
kioo looking glass
kioo mirror
kipande bit
kipande fragment
kipande lump
kipande, sehemu Parthian
kipande, sehemu part
kipande, sehemu piece
kipande, sehemu share
kipofu blind
kipofu sightless person
kisiwa island
kisu knife
kisungura rabbit
kitabu book
kitambaa cloth
kitanda bed
kiti chair
kitu article
kitu object
kitu thing
kitunguu onion
kiwanja earth
kizibo cork
kobe tortoise
kondoo sheep
kongoni, nyumbu gnu
kongoni, nyumbu wildebeest
kosa aberration
kosa error
kosa mistake
kubali accede
kubali agree
kubali consent
kubwa big
kubwa important
kubwa large
kubwa serious
kuku chicken
kuku fowl
kule, mle, pale at that place
kule, mle, pale over there
kule, mle, pale there
kule, mle, pale yon
kule, mle, pale yonder
kumi ten
kumi na kenda, kumi na tisa nineteen
kumi na mbili, kumi na wili, thenashara twelve
kumi na nane, kumi na nane eighteen
kumi na nne, kumi na nne fourteen
kumi na saba seventeen
kumi na sita sixteen
kumi na tano, kumi na tano fifteen
kumi na tatu, kumi na tatu thirteen
kusini south
kuu main
kuu major
kuu principal
kuvua, samaki fish
kwa out of
kwa heri, kwa herini adieu
kwa heri, kwa herini bye
kwa heri, kwa herini farewell
kwa heri, kwa herini goodbye
kwa hiyo on that account
kwa hiyo therefore
kwa sababu because
kwa sababu for the reason that
kwenda na accompany
Arab Influences
Arabic has played a significant role in both influencing Swahili as well as helping to develop it. Arabic’s role in the language goes back to the interactions and influence Arabic traders had with people who lived on the eastern coast of Africa. As a result, Swahili eventually became the language spoken in that part of Africa. In fact, it became the standard language for Bantu tribes who spoke many other languages starting in the 19th century.
Moving Inland
Also around the 19th century, Swahili started to move inland from the eastern coast of Africa because Arab ivory traders and slave traders used it as the primary mode of communication. They went all the way to the Congo and north to Uganda, which helped spread the language.
A Common Language
During the colonization of Africa, Europeans decided to adopt Swahili and not force people to learn their languages. This was both true of the British and the Germans who encouraged its use in schools, the military, and government.

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