The World of Languages · Atlantic-Congo
Swahili · Kiswahili
East Africa's great lingua franca: a Bantu language rich in Arabic loanwords, spoken by tens of millions as a second language.
- 4 million native speakers
- 95 million speakers in total
- Latin script
- FSI Category II · 36 weeks
- Official in 3 countries
Where Swahili is spoken
Tap or hover over a country. Colours show the language's status, based on Unicode CLDR territory data (population estimates mix sources and years).
Top countries by speakers
- TanzaniaOfficial language · 61M (90%)
- Congo - Kinshasa · Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya KongoOfficial regionally · 58M (50%)
- KenyaOfficial language · 38M (66%)
- UgandaOfficial language · 37M (75%)
Key numbers
- Native (L1) speakers
- 4 million
- Second-language (L2) speakers
- 91 million
- Total speakers
- 95 million
- Source
- Ethnologue (2026), via Wikipedia
Swahili at a glance
Swahili, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language of the Atlantic–Congo language family, originally spoken by the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent littoral islands). Estimates of the number of Swahili speakers, including both native and second-language speakers, generally range from 40 million to 200 million. Most native speakers reside in Tanzania and Kenya.
From the Wikipedia article Swahili (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Name in Swahili
- Kiswahili
- Family
- Atlantic-CongoVolta-CongoBenue-CongoBantoidSouthern BantoidNarrow BantuEast BantuNortheast Savanna BantuNortheast Coastal BantuCoastal NEC BantuSabaki-SwahiliSwahili (G.40)Mombasa-Lamu-Inland Swahili
- Writing system
- Latin alphabet (historically Arabic script)
- Direction
- Left to right
- Official in
- Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda
- Codes
- ISO 639-3
swh· Glottologswah1253· Q7838 - Writing sample
Watu wote wamezaliwa huru, hadhi na haki zao ni sawa. Wote wamejaliwa akili na dhamiri, hivyo yapasa watendeane kindugu.
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights…”
Linguistic profile
How hard is Swahili for English speakers?
The US Foreign Service Institute puts Swahili in Category II: about 36 weeks (900 class hours) of full-time study to reach professional working proficiency.
Source: FSI language learning timelines. See all languages ranked: hardest · easiest.
Feature values from the World Atlas of Language Structures (WALS Online, CC BY 4.0).
The Swahili script
Latin alphabet (historically Arabic script). Tap a character to hear it (your device reads the letter name or sound).
Standard letters from Unicode CLDR exemplar characters.
Useful Swahili phrases with pronunciation
Numbers 1–10
- moja
- mbili
- tatu
- nne
- tano
- sita
- saba
- nane
- tisa
- kumi
Days of the week
- Mon Jumatatu
- Tue Jumanne
- Wed Jumatano
- Thu Alhamisi
- Fri Ijumaa
- Sat Jumamosi
- Sun Jumapili
Everyday words
- water maji
- cat paka
- dog mbwa
- coffee kahawa
- beer bia
- bread mkate
- book kitabu
Phrases and words checked against Wiktionary; days and months from Unicode CLDR. Audio uses your browser's built-in Swahili voice when available.
Dialects and varieties
Standard Swahili (Kiunguja-based)
Tanzania and Kenya schools and media
Based on the dialect of Zanzibar Town.
Kenyan street Swahili and Sheng
Nairobi
Sheng mixes Swahili, English and other Kenyan languages.
Congolese Swahili (Kingwana)
Eastern DR Congo
Simplified grammar and loanwords from French and Lingala.
Kiamu and Kimvita
Lamu and Mombasa, Kenya
Historic coastal dialects of classic Swahili poetry.
Hear the dialects
Fun words, untranslatables
hakuna matata
“No worries”, made world-famous by The Lion King.
pole pole
“Slowly, slowly”: take it easy, no rush.
karibu
Welcome. Also said when offering something, like “come in” or “help yourself”.
pole
Said to express sympathy, from a stubbed toe to bereavement.
Curious facts
- Swahili nouns belong to around 15 noun classes, marked by prefixes: mtoto (child), watoto (children), kitabu (book), vitabu (books).
- Its name comes from Arabic sawāḥil, “coasts”.
- Swahili is an official language of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, and a working language of the African Union.
- UNESCO declared 7 July World Kiswahili Language Day in 2021.
- Kiswahili counts time from sunrise: saa moja asubuhi (“hour one”) means 7 am.
Famous Swahili-speaking voices
Singers & musicians
Writers & poets
Film & TV
Other famous figures
Descriptions from Wikidata; photos from Wikimedia Commons under the licences shown.
Swahili culture now
Bongo Flava
Tanzanian popular music genre
Taarab
Music genre
Hakuna matata
Swahili phrase meaning "no worries"
Sauti Sol
Kenyan band
Swahili literature
Literature in the Swahili language
Kanga (garment)
Printed cotton fabric worn in East Africa
Learn Swahili on YouTube
Free lessons from teachers and channels with Swahili courses. Videos load only when you press play.
The story of the language
Quick quiz: how well do you know Swahili?
Where to learn Swahili
The Endless Book
Read text you can understand, in the style of your favourite author and genre. About 30 languages.
LangMagicLangMagic Speak
Speaking lessons built around your topics, from materials you choose.
LangMagicLangMagic Meet
A virtual meeting platform built for language lessons, with follow-up exercises.
FreeWikivoyage Swahili phrasebook
Free travel phrasebook with pronunciation guide
FreeWikibooks: Swahili
Free, open textbook
FreeOmniglot: Swahili
Script, pronunciation and useful phrases
FreeWiktionary: Swahili dictionary
Free multilingual dictionary
Sources
- Speaker numbers: Ethnologue (2026), via Wikipedia.
- Countries, populations, alphabets, days and months: Unicode CLDR 46.
- Classification: Glottolog 5.3. Grammar features: WALS Online.
- Introduction: Wikipedia, Swahili (CC BY-SA 4.0). People and culture: Wikipedia and Wikidata. Images: Wikimedia Commons.
- Writing sample: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1, from the Unicode UDHR collection. Phrases and words: Wiktionary. Difficulty: US Foreign Service Institute.
- Map: Natural Earth via world-atlas (public domain).