Swahili is a Bantu language used in East Africa and a member of a people in Zanzibar. This language can be found in places such as Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to include some. With more than 2 to 15 million native speakers, here are some great Swahili sayings to inspire you.
“Adui wa mtu, ni mtu – The enemy of man is man.”
“Afya ni bora kuliko mali – Health is better than wealth.”
“Ahadi ni deni – A promise is a debt.”
“Akili ni mali – Knowledge is wealth.”
“Akili nyingi huondoa maarifa – Too many ideas drive wisdom away.”
“Baada ya dhiki faraja – After hardship comes relief.”
“Bilisi wa mtu ni mtu – The evil spirit of a man is a man.”
“Chema chajiuza, kibaya chajitembeza – A good thing sells, a bad thing advertises.”
“Daima bidii, kamba hukata jiwe – Forever persist, a rope cuts stone.”
“Dalili ya mvua mawingu – Clouds are the sign of rain.”
“Damu nzito kuliko maji – Blood is thicker than water.”
“Debe tupu haliachi kuvuma – An empty pot makes the loudest noise.”
“Elfu huanzia moja – A thousand begins with one.”
“Elimu haina mwisho – Education never ends.”
“Haba na haba hujaza kibaba – Little by little fills up the measure.”
“Hapana marefu yasio na mwisho – There is no distance that has no end.”
“Heri kufa macho kuliko kufa moyo – It is better to lose your eyes than to lose your heart.”
“Heri kujikwa kidole kuliko ulimi – Better to stumble with toe than toungue.”
“Hiari ya shinda utumwa – Voluntary is better than force.”
“Jina jema hungara gizani – A good name shines in the dark.”
“Jitihadi haiondoi kudura – Effort will not counter faith.”
“Kila chombo kwa wimblile – Every vessel has its own waves.”
“Kinywa ni jumba la maneno – Mouth is the home of words.”
“Kuishi kwingi ni kuona mengi – To live long is to see much.”
“Kupoteya njia ndiyo kujua njia – To get lost is to learn the way.”
“Kutoa ni moyo usambe ni utajiri – Charity is the matter of the heart not of the pocket.”
“Lipitalo, hupishwa – Things don’t just happen by accidents.”
“Majumba makubwa husitiri mambo – Big houses conceal a lot.”
“Mchezea zuri, baya humfika – He who ridicules the good will be overtaken by evil.”
“Mchimba kisima hungia mwenyewe – He who digs a pit will fall into it himself.”
“Mfuata nyuki hakosi asali – One who follows bees will never fail to get honey.”
“Msema pweke hakosi – One who talks to himself cannot be wrong.”
“Mwamini Mungu si mtovu – He who trusts in God lacks nothing.”
“Mwekaji kisasi haambiwi mwerevu – He who nurses vegeance is not called wise.”
“Paka akiondoka, panya hutawala – when the cat goes away, mice reign.”
“Si kila mwenye makucha huwa simba – Not all that have claws are lions.”
“Taratibu ndiyo mwendo – Slowly is indeed the way to walk.”
“Ukupigao ndio ukufunzao – What beats you is what teaches you.”
“Umoja ni nguvu – Unity is strength.”
“Wapingapo fahali wawili, ziumiazo ni nyasi – When two bulls fight, it is the grass that suffers.”
Keith Miller has over 25 years of experience as a CEO and serial entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, he has founded several multi-million dollar companies. As a writer, Keith's work has been mentioned in CIO Magazine, Workable, BizTech, and The Charlotte Observer. If you have any questions about the content of this blog post, then please send our content editing team a message here.
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