List of Common Arabic Words in Swahili. Swahili language, also called kiSwahili, or Kiswahili, Bantu language spoken either as a mother tongue or as a fluent second language on the east coast of Africa in an area extending from Lamu Island, Kenya, in the north to the southern border of Tanzania in the south. (The Bantu languages form a subgroup of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.)
People who speak Swahili as their sole mother tongue are usually referred to as Waswahili, but this name refers to their language only and does not denote any particular ethnic or tribal unit. Swahili is widely used as a lingua franca in: (1) Tanzania, where it is the language of administration and primary education; (2) Kenya, where it is, after English, the main language for these purposes; (3) Congo (Kinshasa), where a form of Swahili is one of the four languages of administration, the main language for this purpose being French; and (4) Uganda, where the main language is again English.
Swahili is a language that fuses African Bantu with Arabic. Arab sailors and traders have established links and ties with East Africa for centuries, their language strongly merged with the local language to produce a creole derivative.
The word Swahili itself is derived from Arabic Sawahili سواحلي which is plural for ساحل meaning [Language] of the Coast.
This article gives some examples of Arabic words still in today’s Swahili.
Here are some words.
| Swahili | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hatari | خطر | Danger. Also the title of a 1962 movie starring John Wayne, set in Africa. |
| Safari | سفر | Travel. Also: trip |
| mahali | محل | Place |
| vitabu | كتاب | Book |
| msumari | مسمار | Nail |
| kata | قطع | Cut, chop |
| habari | خبر | news |
| huru | حر | free |
| dhamiri | ضمير | conscience |
| kamusi | قاموس | dictionary |
| baridi | بارد | cold |
| samahani | سامحني | forgive me, excuse me |
| rafiki | رفيق | companion, friend |
| tafadhali | تفضل | please |
| furahi | فرح | happy |
Arabic Words in Swahili Time
The terms for time are strongly influenced by Arabic. Many of it taken by the prayer times of Islam.
| Swahili | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| asubuhi | صبح | morning |
| dakika | دقيقة | minute |
| saa | ساعة | hour |
| wakati | وقت | time |
| alasri | العصر | late afternoon |
| magharibi | المغرب | sunset |
| alfajiri | الفجر | dawn |
| karne | قرن | century |
The Swahili names for the first five days of the week all start with Juma, then the order of the day of the week, Saturday being the first day of the week. Jumaa is derived from the Arabic word جمعة which means Friday, as well as “week. Only two days of the week got the Arabic names:
| Swahili | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| alkhamisi | الخميس | Thursday |
| ijumaa | الجمعة | Friday |
Arabic/Islamic greetings in Swahili
| English phrase | Swahili | Arabic + pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Peace be upon you (standard muslim greeting) | Salam aleikum | سلام عليكم (salaam a’leikum) |
| Come in! (Please approach!) | karibu | قريب (qareeb) |
| How are you? (What’s news?) | habari yako | خبر (khabar) |
| I’m well/at peace (one possible response) | salama | سلام (salaam) |
| Good morning | habari ya asubuhi | صبح (morning) |
| Excuse me | samahani | سامحني (saamaHani) |
| Please | tafadhali | إتفضل (itfaDDal) |
Arabic Words in Swahili Legal/Social Concepts
| Legal/social concepts | Swahili | Arabic word |
|---|---|---|
| marriage/divorce | arusi/talaka | عرس / الطلاق (‘ars, Talaaq) |
| shame/fault | aibu | عيب (‘eib) |
| luck | bahati | بخت (bikht) |
| welfare | kheri | خير (kheir) |
| truth | hakika | حقيقة (haqiqa) |
| legal/law | sheria | شريعة (sharii’a) |
| to legalise | halalisha | حلال (halaal) |
| news | habari | خبر (khabar) |
| help | -saidia | مساعدة (saa3dah) |
| company, organisation | shirika | شركة (sherkah) |
| profit | faida | فائدة (faa’idah) |
| loss | hasara | خسارة (khasaarah) |
Arabic Numbers & Time Concepts in Swahili
| Number/concept | Swahili | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| three six seven eight nine |
tatu, sita, saba, nane, tisa | ثلاثة (thlaathah) ستة (sittah) سبعة (saba’ah) ثمانية (thamanyah) تسعة( tisa’ah) |
| twenty thirty forty fifty sixty seventy eighty ninety |
ishirini thelathini arobaini hamsini sitini sabaini themanini tisaini |
عشرون (ashar’iin) ثلاثون (thalathiin) أربعون (arba’iin) خمسون (khamsiin) ستون (sittiin) سبعون (saba’iin) ثمانون (thamaniin) تسعون (tisa’iin) |
| a hundred a thousand |
mia elfu |
مئة (miyyah) الف (alf) |
| Thursday, Friday | alhamisi iljumaa |
الخميس (al-khamiis) جمعة (jum’ah) |
| hour | saa | ساعة (saa3ah) |
| minute | dakika | دقيقة (daqiqah) |
| earlier | awali | أول (awwal) |
| later | baadaye | بعدين (ba’dayn) (note: colloquial) |
| in the distant past | zamani | زمان (zamaan) |
| time generally | wakati muda |
وقت (wa’t) مدّة (muddah) |
| to add, count | -hesabu | يحسب (yiHsab) |
| to wait | -subiri | صبر (Sabr) |
| to postopone | -ahirisha | يأخر (yi’akhkhar) (“to delay”) |
Arabic Words for People and Professions in Swahili
| English | Swahili | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| friend | rafiki | رفيق (rafiq) |
| soldier | askari | عسكري (‘askari) |
| engineer | mhandisi | مهندس (mohandes) |
| accountant | mhesabu | محاسب (moHaaseb) |
| teacher | mwalimu | معلّم (mo’allem — archaic) |
| daughter | binti | بنت (bint — “daughter”) |
Arabic Words in Swahili Foods
| English | Swahili | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| cheese | jibini | جبنه (jibnah) |
| honey | asali | عسل (‘asal) |
| mango | embe | انبه (anbah) |
| apple | tofaa | تفاحة (tofaaHah) |
| eggplant | mbiligani | باذنجان (badhinjaan) |
| sugar | sukari | سكر (sukkar) |
| tea | chai | شاي (shaay) |
| pepper | pilipili | فلفل (felfel) |
Arabic Words in Swahili Describing things
| English | Swahili | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| big | kubwa | كبير (kabiir) |
| easy/cheap | rahisi | رخيص (rakhiiS) |
| expensive | ghali | غالي (ghaali) |
| quick | haraka | حركة (haraka) |
| some random thing | fulani | فلان (fulaan) |
| to originate from | -wasili | أصل (aSl) |
Arabic Words in Swahili Mind, Body, Health
| English | Swahili | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| blood | damu | دم (damm) |
| pants/trousers | suruali | سروال (surwaal) |
| sex | jinsia | جنس (jens) |
| intelligence | akili | عقل (‘aql) |
| a thought | fikra | فكرة (fikrah) |
| to think | -fikiri | يفكر (yifkar) |
Arabic Words in Swahili Others
1. farasi- horse
2. Naam- certainly (yes)
3. Isha- finish/end – e.g. in Swhahili imekwisha [derived: (Islamic)] [Terminology: Islamic late evening/night prayer]
4. Saidia/saidiwa/msaada- help
5. Dunia- world/global
6. Ridhi- approve/consent/content
7. Jadi- ancestors/ancestry
8. Karatasi- pieces of paper
9. kibarua-employment/labor
10. kitabu-book
Some more words to add of Arabic Origin
Waziri-Minister
Rais-President
Jamuhuri-Republic
Fedha-Finance/Money
Mhasibu-Accountant
Hesabu-Mathematics
Hak-Right(s)
Dini-Religion
Swali-Pray
