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How do you say elephant in Swahili?

Elephant is tembo or ndovu.

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  1. Kiboko
  2. Chui
  3. Tembo ✔

Why: Tembo means elephant, and ndovu is another word for the same animal. Kiboko is hippo and chui is leopard.

Huh, didn't know that: Wild animals as a group are wanyama pori.

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I asked for the Swahili word for elephant and got two good answers. It was a tembo and ndovu situation.
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References

Answer: Tembo. Tembo means elephant, and ndovu is another word for the same animal. Kiboko is hippo and chui is leopard.

  1. University of Kansas Kiswahili, Lesson 50 kiswahili.ku.edu/sites/kiswahili/files/documents/lessons/lesson_50.pdf
    ndovu; tembo [elephant]
    Checked 2026-10-12.
  2. University of Kansas Kiswahili, Lesson 34 kiswahili.ku.edu/sites/kiswahili/files/documents/lessons/lesson_34.pdf
    wanyama pori [wild animals]
    Checked 2026-10-12.

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