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Chapter 6 of 9

Getting Around: Directions and Transportation

Use Swahili to ask for and understand directions, and to manage simple travel situations with public or private transport.

15 min readen

New Words and Phrases (in English)

Here are useful Swahili words and phrases for asking and understanding directions, and for using common transport like taxis and buses.

WordPronunciationTranslationExample
wapiWAH-peewhereKituo cha basi kiko wapi?(Where is the bus station?)
moja kwa mojaMOH-jah kwah MOH-jahstraight aheadNenda moja kwa moja halafu ugeuke kushoto.(Go straight ahead and then turn left.)
kushotokoo-SHO-tohleftBenki iko upande wa kushoto.(The bank is on the left side.)
kuliakoo-LEE-ahrightGeuka kulia kwenye taa za barabarani.(Turn right at the traffic lights.)
karibu nakah-REE-boo nahnear / close toHoteli iko karibu na kituo cha basi.(The hotel is near the bus station.)
mbaliMBAH-leefarUwanja wa ndege si mbali.(The airport is not far.)
teksiTEK-seetaxiNinatafuta teksi kwenda mjini.(I am looking for a taxi to go to town.)
kituo cha basikee-TOO-oh cha BAH-seebus stop / bus stationBasi litaondoka saa ngapi kutoka kituo cha basi?(What time will the bus leave from the bus station?)

Language Pattern (in English)

1. Asking "Where is ...?" in Swahili

A very common pattern for directions is:

"[Place] iko wapi?" – "Where is [place]?"

  • iko comes from the verb kuwa (to be). It is used for saying where something is located.

Examples:

  • Kituo cha basi kiko wapi? – "Where is the bus station?"
  • Hoteli iko wapi? – "Where is the hotel?"

You can also add karibu na (near) to give more detail:

  • Hoteli iko karibu na kituo cha basi. – "The hotel is near the bus station."

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2. Basic direction words

Use these words after a verb like nenda (go) or geuka (turn):

  • Nenda moja kwa moja. – "Go straight ahead."
  • Geuka kushoto. – "Turn left."
  • Geuka kulia. – "Turn right."

You can combine them:

  • Nenda moja kwa moja halafu geuka kulia. – "Go straight ahead and then turn right."

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3. Talking about distance

Two very useful words:

  • karibu na – "near / close to"
  • mbali – "far"

Examples:

  • Uwanja wa ndege si mbali. – "The airport is not far."
  • Benki iko karibu na kituo cha basi. – "The bank is near the bus stop."

Notice again the use of iko for location.

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4. Using transport words in simple sentences

You can reuse patterns from earlier modules (like "I am looking for...") with transport vocabulary:

  • Ninatafuta teksi kwenda mjini. – "I am looking for a taxi to go to town."
  • Basi litaondoka saa ngapi kutoka kituo cha basi? – "What time will the bus leave from the bus station?"

Here, the new vocabulary (teksi, kituo cha basi) fits into familiar sentence structures, so you can quickly build useful travel phrases.

Practice Dialogue (in English)

In this dialogue, a visitor asks a local for directions to the bus station and then speaks to a taxi driver. Pay attention to how the question "Where is...?" and direction words are used.

On a street in town, asking for directions and then taking a taxi.

Visitor

Samahani, kituo cha basi kiko wapi?

Excuse me, where is the bus station?

Local

Kituo cha basi kiko karibu na benki. Nenda moja kwa moja halafu geuka kulia.

The bus station is near the bank. Go straight ahead and then turn right.

Visitor

Je, ni mbali kutoka hapa?

Is it far from here?

Local

Hapana, si mbali. Ni dakika kama kumi kwa kutembea.

No, it is not far. It is about ten minutes on foot.

Visitor

Asante sana.

Thank you very much.

Taxi driver

Habari, unakwenda wapi?

Hello, where are you going?

Visitor

Ninataka kwenda kituo cha basi, tafadhali.

I want to go to the bus station, please.

Taxi driver

Sawa, si mbali. Tutapita moja kwa moja kisha geuka kushoto.

Okay, it is not far. We will go straight ahead, then turn left.

Check Your Understanding (in English)

Answer this question to check your understanding of a key direction phrase.

What does the Swahili phrase "Nenda moja kwa moja" mean?

  1. Go straight ahead
  2. Turn left
  3. Turn right
  4. Go near the bus station
Show Answer

Answer: A) Go straight ahead

The phrase "Nenda moja kwa moja" uses "nenda" (go) and "moja kwa moja" (straight ahead), so together it means "Go straight ahead." The other options use different direction words: "kushoto" for left, "kulia" for right, and "karibu na" for near.

Key Terms

wapi
where – used in questions about location, e.g., "kiko wapi?" = "where is it?"
kulia
right – direction word, often after verbs like "geuka" (turn)
mbali
far – used to talk about distance
teksi
taxi – a car for hire
kushoto
left – direction word, often after verbs like "geuka" (turn)
karibu na
near / close to – used to show something is close to another place
moja kwa moja
straight ahead – literally "one to one", used for going straight
kituo cha basi
bus stop / bus station – literally "station of bus"