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Swahili to English
Translating words and phrases into English from the Swahili language of East Africa.
257 Questions
How many people in the world speak Swahili?
This contributor estimates 150 million, divided as follows: Tanzania and Kenya 90 million , D.R.C. 25,000, Rwanda and Burundi 10 million, elsewhere 8 million. The estimate is based on current population estimates found in Wikipedia and statoids.com (for Congo), joined by the contributor's 45 years of living and traveling in the Swahili areas. Wikipedia has a helpful linguistic map of the Congo.
Swahili is the national language of Kenya (with English) and Tanzania and is used in government, school,s mass-communication media, the armed services, entertainment media, etc. A fairly small percentage of people speak it as a first language (probably 20 per cent and growing), children learning it from friends and at school. The estimate here is that about half of the people of Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi speak Swahili. It is the first language of almost everyone in eastern Congo, from Lubumbashai in the south to Lake Kivu in the north. This is a result of the profound effects of the slave trade in which the language was brought by Swahilis and Arabs from the Indian Ocean coast. Their culture and language largely displaced local ones, and the number and percentage of people whose first language is Swahili is probably higher than in either Tanzania or Kenya.
What does Kenya mean in Swahili?
"Kenya" in Swahili does not have a specific meaning, as it is the name of the country itself.
Does Swahili contain many dutch words?
Swahili has borrowed some words from Dutch due to historical interactions between Dutch traders and Swahili speakers along the East African coast. However, the number of Dutch words in Swahili is relatively small compared to other languages that have influenced Swahili, such as Arabic and English.
Swahili evolved over many centuries as a lingua francaamong people who spoke different languages but interacted with each other It is a Bantu language, as are most East African languages, in form and vocabulary. It grew as a coastal trade language when African people interacted with each other and with peoples from overseas, particularly Arabs and Shirazi Persians, beginning more than a thousand years ago, and later with Indians, Portuguese, English, and Germans. Fifty years ago it was thought that possibly a third of Swahili words were of Arabic origin, but in the last half century in East Africa it has relied most heavily on English as a source for new words. New words are also formed fro roots in various Bantu anguages. In Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi there is more French influence, and in Mozambique more Portuguese.
German had little influence on standard Swahili: hela for small amounts of money (frrom heller) and shule for school.
How do you say hello in Kenya?
"African" is not a language. Africa is a continent that contains 54 countries and more than 2100 completely different languages. Some estimates place the number of languages at around 3000.
If you have any quesitons about African languages, you will have to specify the language.
The most prominent languages spoken in Africa are:
Afrikaans
Amharic
Arabic
English
French
Fula
Hausa
Igbo
Oroma
Somali
Swahili
Yoruba
Zulu
What is the Meaning of ye ye in Swahili?
"Ye ye" in Swahili is a colloquial term used to express excitement or agreement, similar to saying "yeah" or "yes" in English. It is commonly used in informal conversations or in pop culture contexts.
Yes, Swahili is a Bantu language that developed as a result of interactions between Bantu-speaking peoples along the East African coast and traders from Arabic-speaking regions. The language borrowed vocabulary, some grammatical structures, and elements of culture from Arabic, resulting in the Swahili language as it's known today.
What is the meaning of the Swahili word kinywaji?
The English meaning of the Swahili word kinywaji is Drink (noun).
What is the meaning of the Swahili word hatari?
The Swahili word "hatari" translates to "danger" or "risk" in English. It is often used to indicate a situation that is potentially harmful or hazardous.
What is the meaning of the Swahili word habari?
The official meaning of the Swahili word habari is news.
What is the meaning of the Swahili word kumi ishirini?
Twenty is the English meaning of the Swahili word ishirini.
What is the meaning of the Swahili word sabuni?
The Swahili word 'sabuni' means 'soap' in the English language.
What is the meaning of the Swahili word ndugu?
The swahili word 'ndugu' means 'brother ' in English language.
What is the meaning of the Swahili word kalamu?
The Swahili word Kalamu refers to a pen, a writing gadget.
What is the meaning of Muthenya wa Jumamothi?
Mthenya wa Jumamothi is a kikuyu word which means the sixth day or Saturday.
What does wasinga mean in Swahili?
There is no such Swahili word as Wazinga, but the following words are close:
Msinga (pl., misinga) = the name of a tall tree with soft wood
wazungu (sing., mzungu) = white people.
What is the meaning of the Swahili word Suka?
Kusuka is a verb meaning to plait, braid, or arrange hair. Amesuka kirasta he or she has a Rastafarian hairdo, amesuka kimila he or she has plaited his or her hair in the traditional fashion. In practice the word is used of women only because men do not plait or braid their hair in East Africa, though many wear Rastafarian dreadlocks.
