English→Tanzanian Swahili

Translate English to Tanzanian Swahili like a local.

Tanzanian Swahili sounds like itself through register-aware greetings—mambo with friends, habari in polite exchanges, and shikamoo for elders—alongside everyday words such as daladala.

Going the other way? Tanzanian Swahili to English

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between Swahili varieties

What locals actually say

Hey, how’s it going?

Mambo vipi?

Mambo is a casual Tanzanian greeting, with vipi adding the friendly “how is it?” feel.

Hello, Auntie.

Shikamoo, mama.

Shikamoo is the respectful greeting used for an older person, while mama is a warm Tanzanian way to address an older woman.

Which bus goes to the market?

Daladala gani inaenda sokoni?

Daladala is the everyday Tanzanian term for a shared urban minibus, rather than the more general basi.

I only have a thousand shillings.

Nina shilingi elfu moja tu.

Shilingi names Tanzania’s everyday currency, making the amount locally specific rather than generic money vocabulary.

Please pack this for me. I’ll eat it later.

Naomba unifungie hiki, nitakula baadaye.

Naomba + the subjunctive unifungie is a polite Tanzanian food-stall request, with the applicative ending meaning package it for me.

My cousin from upcountry is staying with us this week.

Binamu yangu wa mkoani anakuja kukaa kwetu wiki hii.

Wa mkoani is a Tanzanian way to describe someone from the regions outside one’s city, while kwetu frames the family home as our place.

It’s really hot today.

Leo kuna joto balaa.

Balaa is a colloquial Tanzanian intensifier meaning extremely or seriously, giving the complaint an emphatic everyday tone.

Let’s meet tomorrow at 4 p.m.

Tukutane kesho saa kumi.

Saa kumi follows the Tanzanian Swahili clock system, where the hours start at sunrise, so it means 4 p.m. in English time.

Notes like these come with every AIRTranslate translation, so you learn why locals phrase it that way as you go.

How Tanzanian Swahili differs

Tanzanian Swahili — the standard-bearer (Kiswahili sanifu). Rich idiomatic Swahili; habari/mambo greetings by register; shikamoo for elders.

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Every one of 474 dialects, with voice, camera, a keyboard for any app, and offline packs.

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Localization Notes explaining why locals say it that way