All languages

English to Swahili translation

Type a sentence, get it in Swahili with a respelling that shows you which syllable to stress. Fifteen translations a day are free and you do not need an account to start.

Translate English → SwahiliTake the Swahili course

English to Swahili: everyday phrases

Common phrases from the Swahili course, each with a respelling — capitals mark the stressed syllable.

  • HelloHabari
    Hello/ha-BA-ree/
  • Thank youAsante
    Thank you/ah-SAN-teh/
  • WelcomeKaribu
    Welcome/ka-REE-boo/
  • GoodbyeKwaheri
    Goodbye/kwa-HEH-ree/
  • YesNdiyo
    Yes/n-DEE-yo/
  • NoHapana
    No/ha-PA-na/
  • PleaseTafadhali
    Please/ta-fa-DHA-lee/
  • SorryPole
    Sorry/PO-leh/
  • My name is AmaraJina langu ni Amara
    My name is Amara/JEE-na LAN-goo nee a-MA-ra/
  • What is your name?Jina lako ni nani?
    What is your name?/JEE-na LA-ko nee NA-nee/
  • Good morningHabari ya asubuhi
    Good morning/ha-BA-ree ya a-soo-BOO-hee/
  • I am fineNiko mzuri
    I am fine/NEE-ko m-ZOO-ree/
  • WaterMaji
    Water/MA-jee/
  • FoodChakula
    Food/cha-KOO-la/
  • FriendRafiki
    Friend/ra-FEE-kee/
  • MarketSoko
    Market/SO-ko/
  • Where is the market?Soko liko wapi?
    Where is the market?/SO-ko LEE-ko WA-pee/
  • How much is this?Hii ni bei gani?
    How much is this?/HEE nee bay GA-nee/
  • I want waterNataka maji
    I want water/na-TA-ka MA-jee/
  • I don't understandSielewi
    I don't understand/see-eh-LEH-wee/
  • OneMoja
    One/MO-ja/
  • TwoMbili
    Two/m-BEE-lee/
  • ThreeTatu
    Three/TA-too/
  • FiveTano
    Five/TA-no/
  • SixSita
    Six/SEE-ta/
  • SevenSaba
    Seven/SA-ba/
  • EightNane
    Eight/NA-neh/
  • TenKumi
    Ten/KOO-mee/
  • BreadMkate
    Bread/m-KA-teh/
  • RiceWali
    Rice/WA-lee/
  • FishSamaki
    Fish/sa-MA-kee/
  • MeatNyama
    Meat/NYA-ma/
  • MoneyPesa
    Money/PEH-sa/
  • ExpensiveGhali
    Expensive/GHA-lee/
  • CheapRahisi
    Cheap/ra-HEE-see/
  • I want to buyNataka kununua
    I want to buy/na-TA-ka koo-noo-NOO-a/
  • MotherMama
    Mother/MA-ma/
  • FatherBaba
    Father/BA-ba/
  • BrotherKaka
    Brother/KA-ka/
  • SisterDada
    Sister/DA-da/

What to know before you translate

About Swahili

Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo — around 200 million, mostly as a second language. Writing system: Latin alphabet, spelled close to how it sounds.

  • 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.

How accurate is it?

Translations are produced by an AI model, so treat long or legal text as a draft and check it with a speaker. Short everyday sentences — greetings, directions, family talk — are where it is strongest, and the pronunciation guide is written for English readers. Lesson audio is AI pronunciation audio, not a recording of a native speaker.

Learn SwahiliSwahili phrasebookCompare African language apps