Say Hello in Five African Languages
A greeting in someone's own language opens doors. Here are the first words to learn in five widely spoken African languages, each from a different family and region: Swahili on the east coast, Yoruba and Hausa in West Africa, Amharic in Ethiopia and Zulu in South Africa.
Our pronunciation guides use plain English sounds and capital letters for the stressed syllable. They are approximations, so listen to native speakers whenever you can. Many of these languages also change a greeting depending on whether you speak to one person, a group or an elder.
A tama player: PGskot, CC BY-SA 4.0
Swahili (Kiswahili)
Spoken across East Africa and an official language of Kenya and Tanzania. Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable.
| English | Swahili | Say it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello / How are you? (to one person) | Hujambo? | hoo-JAHM-boh | Reply: Sijambo (see-JAHM-boh), I am fine |
| How are things? (informal) | Habari? | hah-BAH-ree | Literally news?; reply Nzuri (n-ZOO-ree), good |
| Thank you | Asante | ah-SAHN-teh | Asante sana: thank you very much; Asanteni to a group |
| Goodbye | Kwaheri | kwah-HEH-ree | Also written kwa heri |
Yoruba (Èdè Yorùbá)
Spoken mainly in southwest Nigeria and in Benin. Yoruba is tonal, and the accent marks show high and low tones. Use the respectful Ẹ forms with elders.
| English | Yoruba | Say it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good morning (hello) | Ẹ káàárọ̀ | eh KAH-AH-raw | Respectful form; Káàárọ̀ alone to friends |
| How are you? | Báwo ni? | BAH-woh nee | Informal, used with friends and peers |
| Thank you | Ẹ ṣé | eh SHEH | Respectful; O ṣé (oh SHEH) to a friend. Ṣ sounds like sh |
| Goodbye | Ó dàbọ̀ | oh DAH-baw | Literally until I return |
Amharic (አማርኛ)
Ethiopia's federal working language, written in the Ge'ez (Ethiopic) script. Questions change ending for a man or a woman.
| English | Amharic | Say it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | ሰላም (selam) | seh-LAHM | Literally peace |
| How are you? (to a man / a woman) | እንደምን አለህ? / እንደምን አለሽ? | en-deh-MIN al-LEH / en-deh-MIN al-LESH | Reply: ደህና ነኝ (dehna negn), I am fine |
| Thank you | አመሰግናለሁ (ameseggenallehu) | ah-meh-seh-geh-NAH-leh-hoo | A full, polite thank you |
| Goodbye | ቻው (chaw) / ደህና ሁን (dehna hun) | chow / DEH-nah hoon | Chaw is casual; dehna hun to a man, dehna hunyi to a woman |
Zulu (isiZulu)
One of South Africa's 12 official languages. Greetings change for one person or a group.
| English | Zulu | Say it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello (to one / to a group) | Sawubona / Sanibonani | sah-woo-BOH-nah / sah-nee-boh-NAH-nee | Literally we see you |
| How are you? | Unjani? | oon-JAH-nee | Reply: Ngikhona, ngiyabonga (ngee-KOH-nah, ngee-yah-BOHN-gah), I am here, thank you |
| Thank you | Ngiyabonga | ngee-yah-BOHN-gah | Ngiyabonga kakhulu: thank you very much |
| Goodbye (to someone leaving / staying) | Hamba kahle / Sala kahle | HAHM-bah GAH-hleh / SAH-lah GAH-hleh | Go well and stay well; hl is a breathy sound like Welsh ll |
Hausa (Harshen Hausa)
A major language of northern Nigeria and Niger, used for trade across much of West Africa.
| English | Hausa | Say it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | Sannu | SAHN-noo | Also used to say sorry, in sympathy |
| How are you? (to a man / a woman) | Kana lafiya? / Kina lafiya? | KAH-nah lah-FEE-yah / KEE-nah lah-FEE-yah | Reply: Lafiya lau (lah-FEE-yah lau), very well |
| Thank you | Na gode | nah GOH-deh | A common reply is Ba kome, it is nothing |
| Goodbye | Sai an jima / Sai gobe | sigh ahn JEE-mah / sigh GOH-beh | See you later / see you tomorrow |
Quick quiz: test your greetings
- Omniglot: Useful phrases in Swahili
- Omniglot: Useful phrases in Yoruba
- Omniglot: Useful phrases in Amharic
- Omniglot: Useful phrases in Zulu
- Omniglot: Useful phrases in Hausa
- Wiktionary: kwaheri
- Wiktionary: bawo ni (báwo ni)
- Wiktionary: o dabọ
- Wiktionary: sannu
- Britannica: Kenya Facts & Stats (official languages)
- Britannica: Ethiopia Facts & Stats (working language)
Facts on this page were checked against these sources (updated Oct 1, 2026). Spot an error? Email hello@fireempireshop.com.
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