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Stuff Every Traveler Should Say in Swahili

Useful Swahili phrases for Kenya, Tanzania and East Africa, one card at a time.

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Free to start, no sign-up. 56 cards so far. One Knowledge Score and day streak across all your courses.

⏱ Timed practice exam

SESK practice exam: 50 questions, 50 minutes, pass with 40 right (80%).

Take it like the real thing: a countdown, no hints until you finish, then your score by topic, every miss explained, and a readiness score from your last 3 exams.

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Try 3 cards

  1. Someone greets you with 'Hujambo?' What is the standard Swahili reply?
    Show the answer

    Sijambo. Hujambo asks if anything is the matter with you. Sijambo answers that nothing is the matter, so you are fine. Replying 'Hujambo' just asks the same question back.

  2. In the greeting 'Hujambo', what does the root word 'jambo' literally mean?
    Show the answer

    A matter or affair. Jambo means a matter, thing or affair. Hu-jambo asks 'you have nothing the matter?' and si-jambo answers 'I have nothing the matter', which is a polite way of saying all is well.

  3. Someone asks you 'Habari gani?' Which reply means 'fine' or 'good'?
    Show the answer

    Nzuri. Habari gani literally asks 'what news?' The usual answers are nzuri, njema, salama or safi, all meaning fine or good. Hapana means no and kwaheri means goodbye.

All 56 practice questions

The first 50 are free, with the answer, why it's right and the official sources. The other 6 (🔒) are for SESK members. Or play them as a game and track what you've learned.

Show all 56 questions
  1. Someone greets you with 'Hujambo?' What is the standard Swahili reply?
  2. In the greeting 'Hujambo', what does the root word 'jambo' literally mean?
  3. Someone asks you 'Habari gani?' Which reply means 'fine' or 'good'?
  4. How do you ask 'How is your morning?' in Swahili?
  5. Who should you greet with 'Shikamoo'?
  6. You greet an elder with 'Shikamoo'. What do they normally answer?
  7. What does the Swahili greeting 'Shikamoo' literally mean?
  8. A young person greets you with 'Mambo?' What is the casual reply?
  9. How do you ask a whole group 'How are you all?' in Swahili?
  10. How do you say 'please' in Swahili?
  11. Your whole safari crew helped you. Which word thanks all of them at once?
  12. A shopkeeper calls out 'Karibu!' as you walk past. What are they saying?
  13. How do you say 'My name is...' in Swahili?
  14. How do you ask someone 'What is your name?' (literally 'You are called who?') in Swahili?
  15. A vendor offers you a souvenir you don't want. How do you say 'no' in Swahili?
  16. What is the number 5 in Swahili?
  17. How do you say 11 in Swahili?
  18. A price tag says 'shilingi mia moja'. What does 'mia' mean?
  19. A driver says the fare is 'shilingi elfu moja'. How much is that?
  20. What is the Swahili word for the shillings used to pay in Kenya?
  21. You want to bargain. How do you say 'Please lower the price' in Swahili?
  22. While bargaining, what does 'Bei ghali!' mean?
  23. In Swahili time, what is 'saa moja asubuhi' (literally 'hour one, morning')?
  24. Your guide says to meet at 'saa nane mchana'. What time on your watch is that?
  25. What does the Swahili question word wapi mean?
  26. What is the Kenyan Swahili word for a shared minibus taxi?
  27. You are boarding a dala dala in Tanzania. How do you ask 'What's the fare?'
  28. What kind of ride is a bodaboda in East Africa?
  29. What does the Swahili phrase pole pole mean?
  30. How do you ask where the toilet is in Swahili?
  31. What does the Swahili word chakula mean?
  32. How do you say water in Swahili?
  33. What is nyama choma in East Africa?
  34. What is ugali in East Africa?
  35. What does hoteli mean in Swahili?
  36. How do you say room in Swahili, as in a hotel room?
  37. What is a duka in Swahili?
  38. What does soko mean in Swahili?
  39. A seller asks if you need help. How do you say 'I am just looking' in Swahili?
  40. What does safari mean in Swahili?
  41. How do you say lion in Swahili?
  42. How do you say elephant in Swahili?
  43. How do you say giraffe in Swahili?
  44. How do you say hippopotamus in Swahili?
  45. How do you say doctor in Swahili?
  46. How do you say hospital in Swahili?
  47. When someone trips or drops something, which Swahili word shows sympathy?
  48. How do you say goodbye to one person in Swahili?
  49. What does tutaonana mean in Swahili?
  50. How do you say 'Thank you very much' in Swahili?
  51. How do you say 'yes' in Swahili? 🔒
  52. At a market stall, how do you ask 'How much is it?' 🔒
  53. How do you ask 'What time is it?' in Swahili? 🔒
  54. What does the Swahili word chai mean? 🔒
  55. What does msaada mean in Swahili? 🔒
  56. What does polisi mean in Swahili? 🔒