The Kiswahili Language

Kiswahili is the Swahili word for the Swahili language. Swahili is a Bantu language and it is thought that it originated in West Africa at some time in the early part of the first millennium A.D., and spread eastward to the Indian Ocean.



It is the mother tongue of the Swahili people (or Waswahili) who inhabit several large stretches of the Indian Ocean coastlines from southern Somalia, Kenya and as far south as Mozambique's border region.

Swahili and English are the official languages of both Kenya and Tanzania. It is a second language spoken by tens of millions in two countries, Kenya and Tanzania, where it is an official language.

It is also spoken in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zaire. The Swahili speaking people have occupied their present territories, hugging the Indian Ocean, since well before AD 1000.

Basic Kiswahili

Hello - Jambo

Welcome - Karibu

Goodbye - Kwaheri

Yes - Ndiyo

No - Siyo/Hapana

OK - Sawa sawa

Please - Tafadhali

Thank you - Asante

Sorry - Pole

Excuse me - Samahani

No problem - Hakuna matata

I don't know - Sijui

I don't understand - Sielewi

My name is ____ - Jina langu ni ___

Very good - Nzuri sana

Do you speak English? - Una sema Kiingereza?

Sleep well - Lala salama

Numbers

zero - sifuri

one - moja

two - mbili

three - tatu

four - nne

five - tano

six - sita

seven - saba

eight - nane

nine - tisa

ten - kumi

Animals

Bird - ndege

Cheetah - duma

Crocodile - mamba

Giraffe - twiga

Hyena - fisi

Zebra - punda milia

Monkey - tumbili

Lion - Simba

Hippopotamus - kiboko

Snake - nyoka

Interested in learning more kiswahili ? I believe it is a very exceptional and intriguing language that is quite easy to master and speak. I also encourage anyone interested in learning a new language to choose it and try to gain substantial knowledge on what it is all about.

Visit this link for information on how toStart Learning a New Language in the Next 30 minutes ..