Guests ask us this before almost every trip, so here is the short answer from Arusha, where we live and work: Tanzania speaks Swahili, nearly everyone you meet in tourism also speaks English, and most families speak a local language at home on top of both. You do not need a word of Swahili to travel with us. But learn ten words and the country opens differently.
What language is spoken in Tanzania?
The languages of Tanzania come in three layers: Swahili for everyone, English for school and business, and a local language at home. Swahili, called Kiswahili here, is the national language, and it is what you hear in every market, bus stand and village. English is the working language of tourism, so on safari or on the mountain you will always be understood. Underneath both sit many local languages. Maasai families speak Maa, many people around Kilimanjaro grew up with Chagga, and our own crew switches between languages several times a day without thinking about it.
How do you say hello in Swahili?
Hello in Swahili is jambo, and it is a fine place to start. The full greeting is hujambo, answered with sijambo, but nobody minds the short form. Between friends you will hear mambo instead, which is closer to “how are things”. Answer poa, meaning cool, and you will get a grin every time.
Swahili greetings and phrases worth learning
These are the words our guests actually use, starting on day one.
- Jambo: hello.
- Mambo?: the casual hello. Reply poa.
- Asante: thank you. Asante sana is thank you very much.
- Karibu: welcome. You will hear it constantly, and it is meant.
- Pole: sorry, said in sympathy when you stumble or struggle.
- Pole pole: slowly, slowly. On Kilimanjaro this is not advice, it is the method. Walk at pole pole pace and the summit takes care of itself.
- Maji: water. Useful on the trail every single day.
- Twende: let’s go.
- Lala salama: sleep well.
Is hakuna matata a real phrase?
Yes. Hakuna matata is genuine Swahili and means “there is no trouble”. It existed long before any film used it, and if you say it here nobody will laugh. In everyday Tanzanian speech you will more often hear hamna shida, which carries the same meaning. Use either. The attitude behind them is real, and it is one of the reasons people come back to Tanzania.
If you want to practise, send us a jambo on WhatsApp. We answer in English, but we will happily throw in a karibu, and we can talk through your safari or climb while we are at it.
