How to Introduce Yourself in Swahili in 10 Lines

Hello Junkies,

Want to speak Swahili? Yes? Good – keep reading. This is for those that truly want to learn the language. Here’s how to introduce yourself in Swahili in 10 easy lines… and this might take you 2 to 3 minutes or less. With this lesson…

You get the Swahili and the translations.
Read out loud to practice your speaking.
Feel free to print this sheet out for extra review.

Here’s how you introduce yourself in Swahili. Let’s go.

And if you REALLY want to learn to Swahili with effective audio & video lessons by real teachers – Sign up at SwahiliPod101(click here) and start learning!

1) Hello, It’s nice to meet you.

Hello and Nice to meet you in Swahili are a must-know phrases. And any introduction will probably will start with these words. Shikamoo is a very formal way of saying hello and best used for older people. Habari can be used in both formal and informal situations but Shikamoo is the best way to be polite.

Shikamoo, ninafuraha kukutana na wewe.
Hello, it’s nice to meet you.

A more informal way to say this would be.

Habari, ninafuraha kukutana na wewe.
Hi, nice to meet you.

2) My name is _____.

This is simple. To say “my name is” in Swahili, you just need the phrase “Jina langu ni .” Then say your name. You should say your last name if you want to be polite.

Jina langu ni ____.
My name is ____.

Another way on how to introduce yourself, which is informal, would be…

Mimi ni _____.
I’m _____.

3) I am from ______.

So, where are you from? America? Europe? Africa? Asia? Just stick the name of your country inside this phrase. We’ll use Kenya as an example.

Mimi natoka Kenya.
I’m from Kenya.

4) I live in ______.

What about now – where do you live? Just fill in the blank with the country or city (if famous) into this phrase. I’ll use Nairobi as an example.

Ninaishi Nairobi.
I live in Nairobi.

5) I’ve been learning Swahili for _____.

How long have you been learning Swahili for? A month? A year?

Nimekuwa nikijifunza Kiswahili kwa mwaka mmoja.
I’ve been learning Swahili for a year.

6) I’m learning Swahili at _____.

Where are you learning Swahili? At school? At home? This would be a great line to know and use when you’re introducing yourself. Here’s my example:

Ninajifunza Kiswahili katika SwahiliPod101.com.
I’m learning Swahili at SwahiliPod101.com.

7) I am ____ years old.

Here’s how to say how old you are in Swahili. For example, let’s use 27 years old. You’ll need to know Swahili numbers for this.

Nina umri wa miaka ishirini na saba.
I’m 27 years old.

8) I am ______.

What about your position? Are you a student? Yoga teacher? Lawyer for the potato industry? Door-to-door door salesman? Super important question that people like to ask (and judge you about – Hey, I’m just a blogger!).

Mimi ni mwalimu.
I’m a teacher.

9) One of my hobbies is _____.

Now, let’s move onto personal interests – hobbies! My hobbies are languages, linguajunkieing and such. How about you? You’ll definitely need this line when you introduce yourself in Swahili.

Here’s an example to use:

Moja ya kozi yangu ni kusoma.
One of my hobbies is reading.

10) I enjoy listening to music.

Now, this is just another example line about your hobbies. You can use something else where.

Napenda kusikiliza muziki.
I enjoy listening to music.

So now you know how to introduce yourself in Swahili in 10 lines. I’m sure there’s a ton more you can say – but this is an easy, simple start that any beginner can put to use. It’s all about starting easy.

See if you can introduce yourself in Swahili below. Leave me a comment.

I read all comments!

Hope you enjoyed this!

– The Main Junkie

P.S. I highly recommend this for Swahili learners. If you REALLY want to learn to Swahili with effective lessons by real teachers – Sign up for free at SwahiliPod101 (click here) and start learning!