Swahili

Story

Kiswahili is a Bantu language of the Sabaki branch that grew along the East African coast from roughly the 9th century CE, shaped by centuries of Indian Ocean trade with Arab, Persian, and Indian merchants, which is why about a third of its vocabulary is Arabic in origin and the very word 'Swahili' derives from the Arabic 'sawahil', meaning coasts. It is the most widely spoken Bantu language in the world and serves as both a working language of the African Union and the official language of the East African Community, a rare feat for an indigenous African tongue. The earliest surviving written documents in Swahili are letters from Kilwa, Tanzania, dated 1711, composed in Arabic script before European missionaries standardised the Latin orthography in the 19th century. UNESCO designated 7 July as World Kiswahili Language Day in 2021, recognising its role as a living pan-African lingua franca for over 200 million people.

At a glance

• Also known as: Kiswahili
• Family: Niger-Congo
• Region: East Africa
• Speakers: 200M (total speakers (l1 plus l2) estimated; l1 around 15 million, l2 up to 200 million across east and central africa)
• Writing system: Latin (historically Arabic / Ajami)
• Greeting: Hujambo (hello)

Spoken in

Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, Comoros

Common questions