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Kinyarwanda to Swahili translation

Most translation tools route Kinyarwanda through English before they reach Swahili, which is where the meaning goes missing. SemaSoma translates the pair directly and hands back a pronunciation guide with every result.

Kinyarwanda to Swahili: everyday phrases

Phrases that appear in both the Kinyarwanda and Swahili courses, lined up side by side with the English meaning so you can check the match.

  • MurahoHabari
    Hello/ha-BA-ree/
  • MurakozeAsante
    Thank you/ah-SAN-teh/
  • Murakaza nezaKaribu
    Welcome/ka-REE-boo/
  • MurabehoKwaheri
    Goodbye/kwa-HEH-ree/
  • YegoNdiyo
    Yes/n-DEE-yo/
  • OyaHapana
    No/ha-PA-na/
  • NyabunekaTafadhali
    Please/ta-fa-DHA-lee/
  • MbabariraPole
    Sorry/PO-leh/
  • Nitwa AmaraJina langu ni Amara
    My name is Amara/JEE-na LAN-goo nee a-MA-ra/
  • Witwa nde?Jina lako ni nani?
    What is your name?/JEE-na LA-ko nee NA-nee/
  • Ni mezaNiko mzuri
    I am fine/NEE-ko m-ZOO-ree/
  • AmaziMaji
    Water/MA-jee/
  • IbiryoChakula
    Food/cha-KOO-la/
  • InshutiRafiki
    Friend/ra-FEE-kee/
  • IsokoSoko
    Market/SO-ko/
  • RimweMoja
    One/MO-ja/
  • KabiriMbili
    Two/m-BEE-lee/
  • GatatuTatu
    Three/TA-too/
  • GatanuTano
    Five/TA-no/
  • Ndashaka kuguraNataka kununua
    I want to buy/na-TA-ka koo-noo-NOO-a/
  • InzuNyumba
    House/NYOOM-ba/

What to know before you translate

About Swahili

Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congoaround 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.

About Kinyarwanda

Rwanda, with close relatives in Burundi and Ugandaaround 12 million. Writing system: Latin alphabet.

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.