African Language Learning
Swahili
10 lessons available
Karibu Kids
Karibu Kids creates joyful, culturally rich music to help children sing, play, and learn Swahili. Rooted in East African tradition, their songs make language learning an adventure.
Lesson 1
Routine Morning Greeting (Unit 1)
The standard Swahili greeting sequence between two men in the morning hours, from daybreak to noon. This is the most fundamental exchange you will learn.
🌍 Cultural Context
Swahili greetings are deeply rooted in Islamic tradition inherited from Arab traders along the East African coast. 'Hujambo' literally means 'You have no trouble?' — a question about your peace. This reflects the same cultural philosophy as Wolof's 'Jamm rekk' — peace is the highest social value. The characters Mutisya (Wakamba, Kenya) and Sangai (Wabondei, Tanganyika) represent the multi-ethnic, multi-national community of Swahili speakers.Literally: 'You have no affair/trouble?' Used morning to noon
Literally: 'I have no affair/trouble'
Literally: 'News of the morning?' habari = news, za = of, asubuhi = morning
Short reply. Can also say 'Habari nzuri' = 'Good news / Fine'
Polite address for a man
N noun class — used in greeting formulas
N noun class — period from daybreak to noon
Adjective stem. Takes noun class prefix: nzuri (N class)
ha-BA-ri, a-su-BU-hi, n-ZU-ri. This rule applies to almost all Swahili words — you rarely need to mark stress.
Swahili 'j' has little or no affrication — closer to a pure 'd' + 'y' sound. Listen carefully to the audio.