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Swahili language facts for kids

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Swahili
Kiswahili
Native to Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Mayotte (mostly Comorian), Mozambique (mostly Mwani), Oman, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
Native speakers 26 million  (2007)
120 million L2 speakers
Language family
Niger–Congo
  • Atlantic–Congo
    • Benue–Congo
      • Bantoid
        • Bantu
          • Northeast Coast Bantu
            • Sabaki
              • Swahili
Writing system Latin, Arabic
Official status
Official language in  African Union
 Tanzania
 Kenya
 Uganda
 Comoros (as Comorian)
Regulated by Baraza la Kiswahili la Taifa (Tanzania)
Guthrie code G.42–43;
G.40.A–H (pidgins & creoles)
Linguasphere 99-AUS-m
Zone swahili.jpg
Areas where Swahili is spoken

The Swahili language is a language widely spoken in East Africa. In the language, its name is Kiswahili. It is a Bantu language.

Swahili is spoken in a wide area from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique and in all of Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi. Congo has five million first-language speakers and fifty million second-language speakers. Swahili has become a language with which people communicate within East Africa and the surrounding areas.

Swahili language to be spoken by the Swahili people, who live on the coast of East Africa and on the islands near the coast, including Zanzibar, which is now a part of Tanzania. Swahili is an official language in Tanzania and Kenya. It has been influenced by many other languages like Arabic .

Sample words

  • city - mji
  • country - nchi
  • earth - dunia
  • no - hapana
  • okay - sawa
  • water - maji
  • yes - ndiyo
  • me - mimi

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Idioma suajili para niños

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Swahili language Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.