Unit 1: Glossary
Kiswahili English -ake his or hers (jina lake his name/her name) -amkia to greet -angu my (kaka yangu my brother) asante thanks baba father -bisha hodi to say 'knock knock' cha of (chuo Kikuu cha Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania) chuo kikuu university; college -dogo small, young (Dade mdogo - younger sister; kak'e' mdogo - younger brother) dada sister -enda go hapa here hodi! hodi! knock! knock! habari news haya okay huyu this (used with a singular person) -itika to respond -jambo greeting form (hawajambo - they are fine; hujambo - you are fine; sijambo - I'm fine) -jibu answer, respond jina (majina) name (names) -kaa live, reside, sit; kaeni, you all sit, ukae, you sit, kaka brother karibu welcome (can also mean near, close); Karibuni, welcome all (can also be used as an adverb to mean 'recently' katika in, inside -kubwa big, great, older, kaka mkubwa, big brother or older brother kwaheri goodbye(kwaherini, goodbye all) labee usually used by women to respond to a call (also abe or be) mama mother marahaba an appropriate response to shikamoo, the manner in which an elder responds to a greeting from a junior mchana afternoon, between noon and four o'clock (or day time) mko you all are mgeni (wageni) guest (guests) mimi I mji (miji) town (towns) na and ni am/is/are ndiyo yes nyumbani home; at the house nzuri good (-zuri) -ona see, watch, look, observe, onana, see each other salama peaceful sana very sasa now shikamoo an appropriate greetings from a minor or a junior to a senior person/elder shule school -toka come out, come from, exit, emerge, get out (ninatoka Kiambu I come from Kiambu) tayari ready tu only, just wenyewe occupants (of the house); also means yourselves, themselves, ourselves watoto (mtoto) children (child) za of (habari za nyumbani news of home)
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