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Basic Swahili Travel Phrases: Travel Basics

Writer: Roxy Fleming
Roxy Fleming
Oct 23
3 min read

Updated: Oct 28

Spoken in:Ā Burundi, the Comoros Islands, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.Ā 

Language known locally as: Kiswahili. Ā 

Alphabet: Latin.


Traveling to a Swahili speaking country and don't know a word of Swahili?


No problem!


Travel With Confidence has you covered!!!


I'm Roxy, a veteran solo traveler who has been on the road since 2008. Every time I visited a new country, I found I needed to know a certain set of phrases to win the smiles of the locals 😃 After a while I realised I had created a master list of travel phrases; and I knew that if I had these phrases translated before landing in my new destination, then I would leave there with more than just photos and memories, I’d leave knowing I’d connected with the people who made each place special.Ā You see I learnt that you don’t need to be fluent in a language to make a big difference; sometimes, just a few simple phrases can turn a stranger into a friend.



  • Travel With Confidence
  • Travel With Confidence
  • Travel With Confidence
  • Travel With Confidence

I began buying travel phrasebooks but soon realised they were full of unnecessary phrases which were simply added in to fill pages! All that meant was carrying around dead weight. šŸ‘ŽšŸ¼ No thank you!


That's why I decided to create my own phrasebook!


What began as a personal project, evolved into a mission to help fellow travelers worldwide. With the help of native speakers I met along my way, I began translating my list of phrases into 114 languages. Why 114 you ask? There are over 7,000 languages worldwide, but I determined that all you would need is 114 languages to communicate in every single country. 😮


I have now published my translations in a book called Travel With Confidence The World Phrasebook; which is available to download or purchase from Amazon.


In the meantime, here are my basic Swahili travel phrases, for free šŸ¤‘


Basic Swahili Travel Phrases

Swahili Travel Basics


English

Swahili

Pronunciation

How much does it cost?

Gharama ni kiasi gani?

gha-ra-ma nee kee-ah-see gah-ni?

That’s too expensive!

Ni ghali sana!

nee gha-li sah-na!

Yes

Ndiyo

n-dee-yo

No

Hapana

ha-pa-na

Left / Turn left

Kushoto / Geuka kushoto

koo-sho-to / geh-oo-ka koo-sho-to

Right / Turn right

Kulia / Geuka kulia

koo-lee-a / geh-oo-ka koo-lee-a

This

Hii

hee-ee

That

Hiyo

hee-yo

Where is the bus/train station?

Kituo cha basi / reli kiko wapi?

kee-too-oh cha bah-see / reh-lee kee-ko wah-pee?

Toilets

Choo

choh

Men

Wanaume

wah-na-oo-meh

Women

Wanawake

wah-na-wah-keh

Do you have Wifi?

Una Wi-Fi?

oo-na wi-fai?

Can I have the password?

Naweza kupata neno la siri?

na-weh-za koo-pa-ta ne-no la see-ree?

Is it free?

Ni bure?

nee boo-reh?


Now you've got all the Swahili Travel Basics travel phrases nailed, search through my other blogs to find:


  • Swahili Greetings Travel Phrases

  • Swahili Food & Dining Travel Phrases

  • Swahili Days & Numbers Travel Phrases


I'm busy uploading my entire book onto this website, so you can have it all for free. Why? Because I know that not everyone can afford to buy everything they want. I was a poor traveler for MANY years myself, so I know the struggle!


Therefore these blogs are my gift to travelers worldwide šŸŽ


However, if you don't want to spend all day searching through blogs and want your very own copy of my book to have at hand, when and where you need it, then head over to Amazon now and grab a copy.


The best thing about having your very own copy is:


You won't ever have to rely on wifi or data to communicate what you need!


From my many years of travel, this is without a doubt THE BEST REASON TO OWN MY BOOK!


You may think that everywhere has wifi or signal these days because that's the world you are used to. But when you land in a third world country or you trek out into remote locations, you quickly realise that your phone is absolutely useless in your new environment!


So make sure you're prepared for all eventualities and don't get caught out!



Want to look inside the book?


Download a sample version here šŸ‘‡šŸ½


Travel With Confidence The World Phrasebook

The Perfect Travel Companion!


Don't shop on Amazon? Send me an email at travelwithconfidence.world@gmail.comĀ and I'll arrange a personal copy direct to you!


Stay safe and happy travels,

Roxy.

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