This first lesson teaches the alphabet in Swahili. This includes the script and pronunciation. If you stay with me from start to finish, I promise you that you will learn a lot. I will try to give examples using both words and sound. That way it will be easy for you to see the letters when they are separate and when they are in a word. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Swahili Classes.
The alphabet is the building block of the Swahili language. Usually it is the first thing a person should start learning, because without it, you can neither read nor write. This means that the following 30 min are going to be the most important in your learning quest. The Swahili alphabet contains 26 letters just like English but contains 4 unofficial extra letters (ä, ö, ö and ß).
Below is the Swahili alphabet in a table containing 3 columns: The sound of the Swahili letters, the alphabet, examples which include the letter at the beginning, middle and at the end.
Sound | Alphabet | Examples |
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If you have any questions, please contact me using the Swahili contact form on the header above.
The following is a table showing common sentences. We recommend for you to click on the audio of each expression to hear how it is pronounced. That way you will be able to familiarize yourself with the Swahili alphabet.
Pronunciation | Swahili | Audio |
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Language Quote ❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞ ‒Nelson Mandela
Congratulations! You finished your first alphabet lesson in Swahili. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Swahili Lesson 2. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Swahili homepage.