Swahili (kiSwahili)

Swahili is a Bantu language spoken by about 35 million people in
Tanzania, Burundi, Congo (Kinshasa) Kenya, Mayotte, Mozambique, Oman,
Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, UAE and the USA. Swahili is an
official language of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya and is used as a lingua
franca throughout East Africa. The name Swahili comes from the Arabic
word sawāhil (coasts) and the language contains a lot
of vocabulary from Arabic, Persian, Malagasy, English, German and Portuguese.

The earliest known manuscript in Swahili, a poetic epic, was written in
the Arabic script and dates from 1728. During the the 19th century Swahili was used as
the main language of administration by the European colonial powers in East Africa and under
their influence the Latin alphabet was increasingly used to write it. The first Swahili
newspaper, Habari ya Mwezi, was published by missionaries in 1895.

Swahili alphabet (alfabeti ya kiswahili) and pronunciation

Swahili alphabet and pronunciation

Sample text

Watu wote wamezaliwa huru, hadhi na haki zao ni sawa. Wote wamejaliwa
akili na dhamiri, hivyo yapasa watendeane kindugu.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are
endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in
a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Tower of Babel in Swahili |
Useful phrases in Swahili

Swahili language learning material