22 Swahili Words (or Phrases) that are Fun to Say

Abraham Piper started a blog that is very inspiring. (Sorry for my long posts.) He posted a list of English words that are fun to say.

I have often thought of certain Swahili words in the same light.

Pronunciation key: a is a short a sound as in about, e is a long a sound as in make, and i is a long e as in creep. R’s get rolled, but it’s not a long roll. O is a long o as in over. If you have two vowels together it’s like you say them twice in a row and between them is the syllable break. Emphasis is always on the second to the last syllable. At least that’s my approximation for quick lesson.

Some of the below words are new to my vocabulary and others I have enjoyed saying for a long time. Have fun!

22.) Furaha (happy)
21.) Sherehe (party)
20.) Porini (in the African wilderness)
19.) Halafu (then)
18.) Milele (forever)
17.) Acha (leave)
16.) Hadithi (story)
15.) Umeme (electricity)
14.) Njooni (plural polite command to come)
13.) Jaribu (try)
12.) Mkulima ali lima lini? (The farmer cultivated when?)
11.) Baada ya (after)
10.) Lala fofofo (sleep deeply)
9.) Kukumbuka (to remember)
8.) Malizeni (plural of you finish)
7.) Nafasi (opportunity or chance)
6.) Zidi (more)
5.) Kutafuta (to look for)
4.) Zambarau (grape-like fruit, the color purple)
3.) Yafaa (good or better)
2.) Kama kawaida (like normal)
1.) Kwasababu (because)

Enjoy!