Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Swahili spelling, the English meaning, and a respelling with the stressed syllable in capitals so you can say it out loud without guessing.
Jina langu ni AmaraMy name is Amara/JEE-na LAN-goo nee a-MA-ra/
Jina lako ni nani?What is your name?/JEE-na LA-ko nee NA-nee/
Habari ya asubuhiGood morning/ha-BA-ree ya a-soo-BOO-hee/
Niko mzuriI am fine/NEE-ko m-ZOO-ree/
MajiWater/MA-jee/
ChakulaFood/cha-KOO-la/
RafikiFriend/ra-FEE-kee/
SokoMarket/SO-ko/
Getting around
Ask for directions and prices
Soko liko wapi?Where is the market?/SO-ko LEE-ko WA-pee/
Hii ni bei gani?How much is this?/HEE nee bay GA-nee/
Nataka majiI want water/na-TA-ka MA-jee/
SielewiI don't understand/see-eh-LEH-wee/
Counting
Numbers one to ten
MojaOne/MO-ja/
MbiliTwo/m-BEE-lee/
TatuThree/TA-too/
TanoFive/TA-no/
SitaSix/SEE-ta/
SabaSeven/SA-ba/
NaneEight/NA-neh/
KumiTen/KOO-mee/
At the market
Buy food and talk about price
MkateBread/m-KA-teh/
WaliRice/WA-lee/
SamakiFish/sa-MA-kee/
NyamaMeat/NYA-ma/
PesaMoney/PEH-sa/
GhaliExpensive/GHA-lee/
RahisiCheap/ra-HEE-see/
Nataka kununuaI want to buy/na-TA-ka koo-noo-NOO-a/
Family
The people closest to you
MamaMother/MA-ma/
BabaFather/BA-ba/
KakaBrother/KA-ka/
DadaSister/DA-da/
MtotoChild/m-TOH-toh/
FamiliaFamily/fa-MEE-lee-a/
MkeWife/m-KEH/
MumeHusband/MOO-meh/
Days and times
Say when something happens
LeoToday/LEH-oh/
KeshoTomorrow/KEH-shoh/
JanaYesterday/JA-na/
SasaNow/SA-sa/
AsubuhiMorning/a-soo-BOO-hee/
JioniEvening/jee-OH-nee/
UsikuNight/oo-SEE-koo/
SikuDay/SEE-koo/
Food and drink
Order and share a meal
MkateBread/m-KA-teh/
WaliRice/WA-lee/
NyamaMeat/NYA-ma/
MaziwaMilk/ma-ZEE-wa/
ChaiTea/CHA-ee/
KahawaCoffee/ka-HA-wa/
SukariSugar/soo-KA-ree/
Nina njaaI am hungry/NEE-na n-JAA/
Getting around town
Directions and travel words
BasiBus/BA-see/
NjiaRoad/n-JEE-a/
HoteliHotel/ho-TEH-lee/
NyumbaHouse/NYOOM-ba/
KushotoLeft/koo-SHOH-toh/
KuliaRight/koo-LEE-a/
Moja kwa mojaStraight ahead/MOH-ja kwa MOH-ja/
Simama hapaStop here/see-MA-ma HA-pa/
Questions people ask about Swahili
Is Swahili hard to learn?
Nouns fall into classes, and the class changes the start of related words — mtu (person) becomes watu (people).
Stress almost always lands on the second-to-last syllable, which makes reading aloud predictable.
Greetings are a small ritual: habari expects a reply of nzuri before anything else happens.
Where is Swahili spoken?
Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo — around 200 million, mostly as a second language. Writing system: Latin alphabet, spelled close to how it sounds.
Can I learn Swahili for free?
Yes. This phrasebook is free to read, and SemaSoma gives you the first three units of the course plus 15 translations a day before anything is paid.