3+ Best Greetings In Swahili That You Must Know!

Are you planning to make more friends and build more meaningful connections on your next trip to East Africa? Learning by heart some of the most common greetings in Swahili is something you should do!

Impress your friends or loved ones when you learn Swahili. In this article, you will learn about Swahili greetings that will surely help you on your next vacation!

The Truth About The Swahili Language

Well, the truth is that Swahili is not as hard to learn as other languages. It is a phonetic language, making it easy to understand and memorize. In fact, many language learners consider this to be one of the easiest languages to learn for a complete beginner.

To speak Swahili might take some time, a lot of energy, and patience, but it doesn’t mean that it is not achievable. There are many basic ways to build your vocabulary through essential Swahili words and Swahili phrases or develop your knowledge with its noun classes. The way these words are constructed makes it easy for Swahili speakers to hold a conversation with the locals.

So, if you are planning to learn Swahili, then it’s definitely a walk in the park.

Greetings In Swahili

Greetings In Swahili: Your Ultimate Guide!

Want to widen your knowledge of Kenya and Tanzania’s official languages? Say less!

If you meet someone for the first time, greetings in Swahili are not only done by words. After introducing yourself in Swahili, it is best to shake their hands firmly and hold eye contact. This creates a strong impression but a lasting one as well. Whether that person is your boss or someone you met for the first time, you should do this.

However, if it is someone that you know and is close with, welcoming them with a hug is the best thing to do. Who doesn’t love hugs, right?

In this part of the article, you will learn how to say hello in Swahili and other useful phrases to greet people, speak more fluently, increase your vocabulary skills, and hold a proper conversation with someone. If this interests you, continue reading!

Habari (Informal)

Habari means “any news?” Such a greeting is an informal greeting that you can use around people you are close with, friends, and family. It is a way of checking up on someone you haven’t seen in a long time. You can also follow up some question words in Swahili for short, casual conversations. If you see a friend walking down the street or you just want to say hello in Swahili, you can use this greeting!

Shikamoo

This formal greeting directly translates to “I give you respect.” This isn’t typically used around young people or teenagers, but it is used to greet the elderly. Telling them this greeting is a sign that you respect them. They will respond to “Marabaha,” which means “I accept your respect.” Cool, right?

Hujambo

Saying this is also an option! This means, “How are you.” On your next trip to East Africa, being able to say this is something that they would definitely appreciate. After asking your acquaintance’s name in Swahili, Hujambo is also a follow-up question. The reply would be “Sijambo,” which means “I am fine.” Keeping these greetings in mind will definitely come in handy when you visit Tanzania, Kenya, or any place where Swahili is considered their official language!

Jambo

This is a ubiquitous greeting for them. Such a greeting literally means “Hello.” If you google “How to say hello in Swahili,” this will come up first. Not only are these greetings very easy to pronounce, but they are also very easy to remember. So if you are looking for ways to impress the locals, you might want to keep this in mind!

Mambo

Mambo is a slang that they use. This is a very informal way to say “What’s up” or “Hey.” If you are hanging out with people that speak Swahili, you might want to say this too! Don’t use this greeting around someone older or respectable, though it might be impolite.

Above are just a couple of formal and informal greetings that you can use when you encounter persons in cities that speak Swahili. Aside from saying Asante sana (thank you very much), you can use a phrase or two to impress the local people!

Keep in mind that there are multiple ways to strengthen your pronunciation and teach yourself a Swahili word or the Swahili language. There are also many ways to learn Swahili fast if you know where you should be looking at. So, if you want to learn something new and have a diverse set of languages that you want to know, not just Swahili, you might want to check out the Ling app!

Ready To Master Swahili?

So that’s it! Hope you enjoyed learning greetings in Swahili. The Ling app is a language learning application that makes learning a new language very easy and an enjoyable experience for you!

It combines bite-sized lessons and turns the whole language process into a fun and exciting thing! Thanks to its interactive games, you can learn effectively without getting bored. With its quizzes and games that help you retain the words effectively, using the Ling App isn’t only addicting and very compelling.

Did we mention that it has a lot of languages to choose from as well? Yup! You read that right. From knowing how to speak Russian, jokes in Tagalog, or anything Korean, the Ling app is here to cater to your needs and language goals.

It immerses you in real-life situations for you to understand the language better. Not only that, but it is very convenient! You can learn anywhere and anytime that you want to with just a few clicks on your phone.

And if you are looking for the best language learning application, the Ling App is definitely it! Go check it out now!

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