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Chapter 2 of 9

Introducing Yourself and Others

Practice short, natural introductions, including saying your name, where you are from, and asking about others.

15 min readen

New Words and Phrases (in English)

Here are useful phrases for introducing yourself and asking about others. You will learn how to say your name, where you are from, and ask simple questions about another person.

WordPronunciationTranslationExample
Jina lako nani?JEE-nah LAH-koh NAH-nee?What is your name?Shikamoo, jina lako nani?(Respectful greeting, what is your name?)
Jina langu ni...JEE-nah LAHN-goo nee...My name is...Jina langu ni Anna.(My name is Anna.)
Unatoka wapi?oo-nah-TOH-kah WAH-pee?Where are you from?Samahani, unatoka wapi?(Excuse me, where are you from?)
Ninatoka ...nee-nah-TOH-kah ...I am from ...Ninatoka Marekani.(I am from the United States.)
Wewe ni nani?WEH-weh nee NAH-nee?Who are you?Na wewe, wewe ni nani?(And you, who are you?)
Unakaa wapi?oo-nah-KAA WAH-pee?Where do you live?Sasa unakaa wapi?(Now where do you live?)
Ninakaa ...nee-nah-KAA ...I live (stay) in ...Ninakaa Dar es Salaam.(I live in Dar es Salaam.)
Na wewe?NAH WEH-weh?And you?Mimi ninatoka Kenya. Na wewe?(I am from Kenya. And you?)

Language Pattern (in English)

1. Using jina (name) to introduce yourself

To talk about names, Swahili uses the word jina (name).

  • Jina lako nani? – What is your name?
  • jina = name
  • lako = your (for "you" singular)
  • nani = who

So literally, Jina lako nani? is like saying "Your name (is) who?"

To answer, use Jina langu ni...

  • Jina langu ni Anna. – My name is Anna.
  • langu = my
  • ni = is

You can replace Anna with your own name.

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2. Talking about origin and residence with -toka and -kaa

Swahili often uses verb prefixes to show the subject (I, you, he/she, etc.). Here you see:

  • ni- = I
  • u- = you (singular)

Two very common verbs:

  • -toka = to come from
  • -kaa = to stay / to live

Questions:

  • Unatoka wapi? – Where are you from?
  • u- (you) + -na- (present) + -toka (come from)
  • wapi = where
  • Unakaa wapi? – Where do you live?
  • u- (you) + -na- (present) + -kaa (stay/live)

Answers:

  • Ninatoka Marekani. – I am from the United States.
  • ni- (I) + -na- (present) + -toka (come from)
  • Ninakaa Dar es Salaam. – I live in Dar es Salaam.
  • ni- (I) + -na- (present) + -kaa (stay/live)

You can replace Marekani or Dar es Salaam with any country or city name.

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3. Common question words

From this module:

  • nani – who
  • Wewe ni nani? – Who are you?
  • nini – what (not directly used here, but useful)
  • wapi – where
  • Unatoka wapi? – Where are you from?
  • Unakaa wapi? – Where do you live?

Notice that question words usually come at the end of the sentence in Swahili.

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4. Keeping the conversation going with Na wewe?

To ask the same question back, you can use:

  • Na wewe? – And you?

You can add it after answering:

  • Ninatoka Kenya. Na wewe? – I am from Kenya. And you?

This is a simple and very natural way to keep the conversation going.

Practice Dialogue (in English)

In this dialogue, two people meet for the first time at a language class. They greet each other, ask names, and talk about where they are from and where they live.

Two students meeting for the first time before a Swahili class.

Person A

Hujambo? Jina lako nani?

Hello, how are you? What is your name?

Person B

Sijambo, asante. Jina langu ni Mark. Na wewe, wewe ni nani?

I am fine, thank you. My name is Mark. And you, who are you?

Person A

Nijambo, asante. Jina langu ni Sara.

I am fine, thank you. My name is Sara.

Person B

Sara, unatoka wapi?

Sara, where are you from?

Person A

Ninatoka Uingereza. Na wewe, unatoka wapi?

I am from England. And you, where are you from?

Person B

Mimi ninatoka Canada. Sasa unakaa wapi?

I am from Canada. Where do you live now?

Person A

Ninakaa Dar es Salaam. Na wewe?

I live in Dar es Salaam. And you?

Person B

Ninakaa karibu na chuo. Nafurahi kukujua, Sara.

I live near the university. I am happy to meet you, Sara.

Check Your Understanding (in English)

Answer this question about introducing yourself and others in Swahili.

You want to ask someone: "Where are you from?" Which Swahili sentence is correct?

  1. Unatoka wapi?
  2. Jina lako nani?
  3. Ninatoka wapi?
  4. Unakaa wapi?
Show Answer

Answer: A) Unatoka wapi?

The correct answer is **"Unatoka wapi?"** - **Unatoka wapi?** = *Where are you from?* (you + come from + where) - **Jina lako nani?** = *What is your name?* - **Ninatoka wapi?** would mean *Where am I from?*, which is not what you ask another person. - **Unakaa wapi?** = *Where do you live?*

Key Terms

nani
who (question word for people)
wapi
where (question word for place)
Na wewe?
And you? (used to return a question)
Ninakaa ...
I live (stay) in ...
Ninatoka ...
I am from ... (I come-from ...)
Unakaa wapi?
Where do you live? (you live/stay where?)
Unatoka wapi?
Where are you from? (you come-from where?)
Wewe ni nani?
Who are you? (you are who?)
Jina lako nani?
What is your name? (literally: your name who?)
Jina langu ni...
My name is ... (used to introduce your name)