Swahili

American  

[swah-hee-lee] / swɑˈhi li /

noun

plural

Swahilis,

plural

Swahili

1. a member of a Bantu people of Zanzibar and the neighboring coast of Africa.

2. Also Kiswahili or ki-Swahili the Bantu language of the Swahili people, used also as a lingua franca in Tanzania, Kenya, and parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Swahili British  

/ swɑːˈhiːlɪ /

noun

1. Also called: Kiswahili.  a language of E Africa that is an official language of Kenya and Tanzania and is widely used as a lingua franca throughout E and central Africa. It is a member of the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family, originally spoken in Zanzibar, and has a large number of loan words taken from Arabic and other languages

2. Also called: Mswahili.   Waswahili.  a member of a people speaking this language, living chiefly in Zanzibar

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Swahilis or their language

Other Word Forms

• Swahilian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Swahili

First recorded in 1810–15; from Swahili, from Arabic sawāḥiliy “of or pertaining to the coast,” equivalent to sawāḥil, plural of sāḥil “coast” + -iy adjective and noun suffix

Example Sentences

Victor, Mark, Erik and Moses were included in WhatsApp groups where fellow Kenyans reassured them in Swahili that they were heading for good salaries and exciting new lives.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

These soldiers, many from East African nations, have been deployed since 2007 with Swahili often their common language.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2025

He gave her a pointed look, she says, and addressed her brusquely in Swahili: “You’re a Gen Z—come here.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 9, 2025

To hear “Summertime” in Swahili, a beautiful language for song, is indescribably touching.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2025

All of them were still speaking Swahili, and so was Jake.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein