Hello in Swahili – “Habari?” and 14 More Swahili Greetings (and Their Response!)

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What if I told you there is no exact translation for “hello” in Swahili, and yet there are dozens of ways to greet people?

When you’re learning a new language, one of the first things you’ll want to know is how to say “hello.” Salutations are an essential part of the Swahili language and culture, and Swahili is so rich in different types of hellos that conversations of greetings can continue for minutes.

Whether you are planning a trip to Tanzania or Kenya or just want to impress a friend, here are some of the most common “hello” phrases to help you sound like a native Swahili speaker!

Say “Hello” in Swahili to Your Friends: Colloquial Swahili Greetings

Swahili greetings often ask about someone’s news, day, work or family. The best choice depends on region, age, relationship and setting, so treat these as useful patterns rather than scripts with one compulsory response.

1. Habari?

Habari literally means “news”.

Habari can be used in many different sentences, such as Habari za asubuhi/mchana/jioni? (literally “[What is] the news of the morning/afternoon/evening?”). This expresses how English speakers would say “good morning/afternoon/evening.”

Swahili has several noun classes, and agreement can affect nouns, verbs and adjectives. In habari za asubuhi, the form za agrees with plural-class habari; it can’t be replaced with any linker before any noun without checking the construction.

Habari will sometimes be used alone (as just Habari?) or may be removed when a phrase trails after it, creating questions like Za kwako? and Za jioni?

Standard response: Nzuri

2. Mambo?

Literally meaning “things” or “affairs,” mambo is the plural form of jambo. It’s one of the most commonly used greetings in casual Swahili speech.

Jambo is widely understood and often taught to visitors, but adults speaking naturally with one another may prefer greetings such as habari or mambo. It isn’t wrong; it can simply sound tourist-oriented in some settings.

Standard response: Mazuri or poa (“cool”)

3. Vipi?

Vipi literally means “how?” and can be used alone or in combination with another word or phrase. For example, you can pair it with mambo to become Mambo vipi? It’s as casual as “How’s it going?”

There is no particular standard reply, so you can respond with whatever you like from the section “Beyond the Standard Responses” below.

4. Upo?

“You are [here]?” This is a contextual phrase that’s hard to translate literally and threw me off the first time I came across it. “Of course I’m here. You see me right here,” I thought.

However, I quickly realized this is another common greeting to ask how you are. It’s now one of my favorites for its simplicity and shortness!

It may also be used if the speaker hasn’t seen the listener for a bit.

If you are greeting two or more people, you will say Mpo? instead. You may also hear -ko replacing -po (resulting in Uko?, etc.), although this is less common.

Standard response: Nipo (“I am” – for one person) or tupo (“we are” – for two or more people)

5. Niambie

Niambie! (“Tell me!”) This enthusiastic greeting is usually short for sentences like niambie habari yako (“tell me your news”). It’s not a question, but it’s still inquiring about how you are, usually between people who are already on friendly terms with each other.

You may also hear sema (“say”) used in the same way as niambie in this case.

There is no exact standard response, so you can say whatever you feel, such as mzuri (“good”), niko poa (“I’m cool”), or sina jipya (“I don’t have anything new”).

6. Inakuwaje?

“How is it?” This is just about the same phrase as used in certain dialects of English.

Standard response: Nzuri

7. Unaendeleaje?

Unaendeleaje? translates to “How have you been progressing?” It’s similar to the English “How have things been going?”

Although it is still fairly casual, it shows that you’re interested in the listener and their affairs on a deeper level than the greetings above. For this reason, you shouldn’t throw this phrase around quite as lightly to people you don’t know or are meeting for the first time.

You may also hear this as Unaendelea vipi? with vipi replacing the je. This can also be applied to all of the phrases below ending in je with no change in meaning. If you are speaking to multiple people, say Mnaendeleaje?

Standard response: Ninaendelea vizuri or simply vizuri

8. Umeamkaje?

This is a common way to greet someone you care about in the morning. Whereas English speakers ask, “How did you sleep?” Swahili speakers most commonly ask the question Umeamkaje? (“How did you wake up?”)

However, it is also possible to ask Umelalaje (“How did you sleep?”), although it is not used as frequently.

When greeting two or more people, use Mmeamkaje? instead.

Standard response: Nimeamka vizuri, vizuri, or salama (“peaceful”)

9.Umeshindaje?

This phrase asks, “How did you spend the day?” It’s similar to asking, “How was your day?”

Like the other phrases above, it is used to dig a little deeper. It is often used between friends, family, and community members. When asking this to multiple people, say Mmeshindaje?

Standard response: Nimeshinda vizuri or simply vizuri

Beyond the Standard Responses

You may have noticed that there is a vast array of different standard responses.

Responses such as salama, safi and poa are flexible, but usage varies by region, generation and greeting. Listen to how people around you respond instead of treating the list as a universal scale of slanginess.

• Salama (“peaceful”)
• Safi (“clean”)
• Poa (“cool”)
• Freshi (“fresh”)
• Shwari (“calm”)

Therefore, when someone asks you, Habari za asubuhi? you can respond, poa. When someone asks you, Mambo? you can respond, poa. When someone asks you, Upo? you can respond, nipo poa. And so on and so forth, with your choice of word from the list above, depending on how hip you want to seem.

The best part? Let me tell you.

Perhaps due to their near universal applicability, these are some of the most common responses you’ll hear in colloquial Swahili. They’re even more common than some of the standard responses.

Note that the older the other person is, the more likely they will stick to a phrase toward the top of the list, such as salama or the standard response.

Also, this list is not exhaustive. The responses include a vast array of street slang that is always evolving. While I was living in Tanzania, it seemed every month I learned a new slang response, like mzuka or bie. These vary depending on what part of the Swahili-speaking world you are in or where the person you are talking to is from.

You can also strengthen any of the responses with sana (“very”), kabisa (“totally”), or tu (“just”). You can respond to greetings with phrases such as nzuri sana, nipo kabisa, or salama tu.

Keep in mind that even if you’re not doing well or feeling fine, you should generally still respond in a positive manner to Swahili greetings. Usually, people don’t say, “Bad” when asked, “How are you?”

If you are close with the other person and prefer to be honest on a rough day, you can express this with siyo poa sana (“I’m not very good”) or hivyo hivyo tu (“Just okay”).

Polite Greetings

Learning polite and formal Swahili is equally important as learning the colloquialisms.

Why?

These respectful greetings have conventional replies, though real conversations can still vary with place and context.

10. Hujambo?

This greeting has roots in the word jambo introduced above and is a mildly formal way to greet someone. It’s more similar to “hello” than the colloquial “hi” in English.

The equivalent when speaking to multiple people is Hamjambo? This is often used when talking to strangers you don’t want to sound too casual with, when giving a speech, or when an older person greets a younger person.

Standard response: Sijambo (for one person) or hatujambo (for two or more people)

11. Shikamoo

Swahili culture holds age and status in high regard. When you greet someone significantly older or with more authority than you, you are expected to show respect by using shikamoo.

A child may use this toward an adult, a student toward a teacher, a young adult to an elderly neighbor, a citizen to an elected official, an employee to a boss, etc.

If you are greeting a group of people you want to show respect to, you can make this word plural by saying shikamooni.

Standard response: Marahaba

12. As-salaamu Alaikum

As-salaamu alaikum is common among Muslims across the Swahili-speaking world, with wa alaikum salaam as the traditional response. Spelling and pronunciation vary.

Standard response: Wa alaikum salaam

Other Greetings

We’ve covered the most universally applicable phrases, but there are still a handful of greetings for specific situations we haven’t gotten to yet.

Check them out below!

13. Hodi

Use hodi when you are entering someone’s home or room. It’s the English equivalent of saying, “knock knock,” or “Hello, anyone home?” You can also repeat the word twice with no change in meaning, so you can also say hodi hodi.

If you are the listener, respond with “welcome”: karibu (to one person) or karibuni (to two or more people).

14. Habari za Siku Nyingi?

Habari za Siku Nyingi? is a Swahili version of “long time, no see,” and literally means, “What’s the news of many days?” The response would be the same as the other habari expressions in the first part of this article.

You may also be greeted with siku nyingi sijakuona, (“Many days I have not seen you.”). If you’re very close with the other person, you can almost jokingly accuse them with Mbona huonekani? (“Why don’t you appear?”).

There’s no standard response, and you can just greet the person back however you like.

15. Pole na Kazi

Pole na kazi acknowledges someone’s effort: roughly, ‘sorry for the work’ or ‘well done for your hard work’. A natural response is asante. It isn’t exactly the same as Japanese otsukaresama, though the situations can overlap.

Sample Conversation

Greeting routines can be longer than in English, especially when people ask after family, work or the day. How long they continue depends on the relationship and situation; jumping straight to business can feel abrupt, but there isn’t one compulsory script.

Here are two short examples.

Note that the second person uses a different greeting from the first.

Example Dialogue 1: Between Friends

A: Upo?
B: Nipo. Mambo poa?
A: Mambo poa kabisa. Habari za familia?
B: Nzuri sana. Za kwako?
A: Salama tu.

Example Dialogue 2: Between a Younger and Older Neighbor

A: Shikamoo.
B: Marahaba. Hujambo?
A: Sijambo, asante. Habari za mchana?
B: Safi sana. Habari za kazi?
A: Nzuri.

“Hello” in Swahili

There you have it! 15 greetings to use in Swahili.

Don’t worry if you can’t remember all of these phrases right now. If you are just starting out on your Swahili language journey, I recommend you choose just a couple of phrases. Use them until you get the hang of them.

If you are more experienced, try testing out a new greeting every now and then.

Swahili is spoken across diverse communities, so no single national personality describes everyone you’ll meet. Learn a couple of greetings, notice what people around you use and adapt as you go.

For structured audio lessons, try SwahiliPod101. If you want a plan for turning phrases into conversations, join the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp.