Swahili Describing Things Vocabulary

Describing things is one of the most useful skills in Swahili, whether you are talking about a building that is kubwa, a dog that is kali, or a plan that is kamili. This themed list gathers common Swahili describing words, each paired with an English translation and an example sentence, so you can see the adjective doing real work rather than sitting in isolation.

Many of these words change shape depending on the noun they describe, so it pays to notice the patterns rather than memorise each form as an unrelated word. As you work through the list and type the Swahili word for each English prompt, spaced repetition helps the agreement patterns and the tricky look-alikes stick without you having to force them.

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Swahili Describing Things Vocabulary: the list

#	Swahili	English	Type	Example
1	kubwa	big or large	adjective	Hii ni nyumba kubwa sana.
2	kuu	great	adjective	Kuna tatizo kuu katika mji.
3	wazi	open	adjective	Tafadhali fungua dirisha wazi ili kuingia hewa.
4	nyingine	other	adjective	Ninahitaji nyingine njia ya kutatua tatizo.
5	iliyopita	past	adjective	Ninataka kujifunza kutokana na makosa iliyopita.
6	kali	fierce	adjective	Mwanamke huyo ana sauti kali sana.
7	pili	second	adjective
8	rasmi	official	adjective
9	mbaya	bad	adjective
10	kigeni	foreign	adjective
11	nyingi	many	adjective
12	mrefu	tall	adjective	Huyu ni mtu mrefu kuliko wengine.
13	kamili	complete	adjective	Hii ni picha kamili ya mandhari ya asili.
14	mfupi	short	adjective	Mtu huyu ana mfupi wa kusema.
15	mabaya	bad	adjective	Mambo mabaya yanapaswa kuepukwa.
16	ngumu	difficult or hard	adjective	Kazi hii ni ngumu lakini inafaa.
17	halisi	real or genuine	adjective	Tunahitaji taarifa halisi kuhusu tukio hilo.
18	wachache	few	adjective	Watu wachache walifika kwenye mkutano.
19	sahihi	correct	adjective	Ni lazima tuwe na taarifa sahihi kabla ya kuamua.
20	marefu	long	adjective	Miti hii ni marefu sana na inatoa kivuli kizuri.
21	nzuri	good	adjective	Hali ya hewa leo ni nzuri kwa matembezi.
22	kijani	green	adjective	Majani ya mti huu ni kijani na yenye afya.
23	thabiti	firm or solid	adjective	Kampuni hiyo ina msingi thabiti wa kifedha.
24	imara	strong	adjective	Nyumba hii ni imara na inaweza kustahimili dhoruba.
25	vigumu	difficult	adjective	Kazi hii ni vigumu sana.
26	kisasa	modern	adjective	Nyumba hii ina muonekano kisasa sana.
27	rahisi	easy	adjective	Kazi hii ni rahisi sana, unaweza kuifanya.
28	rangi	color	noun	Samahani, naweza kupata rangi ya buluu?
29	uliopo	existing	adjective	Nyumba uliopo ni nzuri na kubwa.
30	nyengine	another	adjective	Ninahitaji nyengine njia ya kufikia lengo langu.
31	sambamba	parallel	adjective	Mifumo hiyo inafanya kazi sambamba.
32	mwekundu	red	adjective	Alivaa koti mwekundu katika sherehe.
33	safi	clean or fine	adjective	Nyumba hii ni safi na inavutia.
34	mgumu	hard	adjective	Huyu ni mtu mgumu sana katika maamuzi.
35	mpana	wide	adjective	Barabara hii ni mpana na inafaa kwa magari.
36	sura	face	noun	Alikuwa na sura nzuri na ya kuvutia.
37	dhaifu	weak	adjective	Mtu huyo ni dhaifu na anahitaji msaada.
38	madogo	small	adjective	Watoto madogo wanahitaji uangalizi wa karibu.
39	njema	good	adjective	Habari njema zilikuja kutoka kwa rafiki yangu.
40	kingine	another	adjective	Ninahitaji kingine chakula kwa ajili ya wageni.
41	chanya	positive	adjective	Tunahitaji mawazo chanya ili kufanikiwa.
42	nzito	heavy	adjective	Mifuko hii ni nzito na inahitaji nguvu.
43	pana	wide	adjective	Barabara hii ni pana na inaruhusu magari mengi.
44	wadogo	small or little	adjective	Watoto wadogo wanahitaji uangalizi wa karibu.
45	kipekee	unique	adjective	Hii ni fursa kipekee katika maisha.
46	nyekundu	red	adjective	Maua nyekundu ni ya kupendeza sana.
47	yanayohusiana	related	adjective	Habari yanayohusiana na afya ni muhimu.
48	nyeusi	black	adjective	Alivaa koti nyeusi kwenye sherehe.
49	kike	female	adjective	Alinunua nguo kike kwa ajili ya sherehe.
50	atomiki	atomic	adjective	Nishati atomiki inatumika katika uzalishaji wa umeme.
51	kijerumani	german	adjective	Mwalimu wetu anazungumza lugha ya kijerumani vizuri.
52	chafu	dirty	adjective	Chumba hiki ni chafu na kinahitaji kusafishwa.
53	dogo	small or little	adjective	Kijiji hiki kina nyumba dogo za zamani.
54	asilia	original	adjective	Mifano ya asilia ni muhimu katika kujifunza.
55	weusi	black	adjective	Ninapenda rangi weusi ya mavazi.
56	ndefu	long	adjective	Hii ni hadithi ndefu sana.
57	vidogo	small	adjective	Ninapenda vidogo vitu vya asili.
58	mapana	wide	adjective	Barabara hii ni mapana kuliko ile ya zamani.
59	mzito	heavy	adjective	Mizigo hii ni mzito sana kubeba.
60	kifupi	short or briefly	adjective	Hii ni hadithi kifupi lakini yenye maana.
61	mweusi	black	adjective	Samahani, rangi hii ni mweusi.
62	mazito	heavy	adjective	Vitu vyote vilikuwa mazito na vigumu kubeba.
63	zuri	good	adjective	Mti huu una maua zuri sana.
64	kirefu	long	adjective	Mti huu ni kirefu sana.
65	ukali	sharp	adjective	Mtu huyu ana ukali wa juu.
66	finyu	narrow	adjective	Njia hii ni finyu na inahitaji uangalifu.
67	lukuki	heavy	adjective	Mtu huyo ana wazo lukuki la biashara.
68	mchache	little	adjective	Watu mchache walihudhuria mkutano wa jana.
69	midogo	small	adjective	Vitu midogo vinaweza kuwa na thamani kubwa.
70	weupe	white	adjective	Rangi ya weupe inapatikana kwa urahisi.
71	tupu	naked	adjective	Chumba hiki kimejaa vitu tupu na hakina matumizi.
72	hasi	negative	adjective	Mtu hasi hawezi kufanikiwa bila juhudi.
73	hatarishi	dangerous	adjective	Kazi hii ni hatarishi na inahitaji uangalifu.
74	hayakubaliki	unacceptable	adjective	Tabia hizo hayakubaliki katika jamii yetu.
75	kichina	chinese	adjective	Ninapenda chakula kichina sana.
76	wezekanalo	possible	adjective	Kila kitu wezekanalo kinaweza kufanyika kwa juhudi.
77	zito	heavy	adjective	Kitabu hiki ni zito sana kubeba.
78	ovyo	careless	adjective	Hii ni habari ovyo sana.
79	rapid	haraka	adjective	Usafiri huu ni rapid sana.
80	kavu	dry	adjective	Ardhi hii ni kavu sana wakati wa kiangazi.
81	kirafiki	friendly	adjective	Yeye ni mtu kirafiki sana na kila mtu.
82	nyeupe	white	adjective	Samahani, naomba nyeupe shati.
83	yaliyoharibiwa	damaged	adjective	Tunahitaji kurekebisha maeneo yaliyoharibiwa na mafuriko.
84	mafupi	short	adjective	Mavazi mafupi ni maarufu katika msimu wa joto.
85	urembo	beauty	noun	Alivaa mavazi ya urembo kwa sherehe.
86	inayoonekana	visible	adjective	Hali ya hewa inayoonekana ni nzuri leo.
87	uliojaa	full	adjective	Maji ya mto ni uliojaa baada ya mvua.
88	mtupu	naked	adjective	Chumba hiki ni mtupu bila samani.
89	isiyoeleweka	unintelligible	adjective	Maelezo yake yalikuwa isiyoeleweka kwa wengi.
90	kandamizi	oppressive	adjective	Sheria hiyo ilikuwa kandamizi kwa haki za binadamu.
91	nyepesi	light	adjective	Kitabu hiki ni nyepesi kubeba.
92	shupavu	tough	adjective	Yeye ni mtu shupavu sana.
93	mweupe	white	adjective	Picha hiyo ina nyumba mweupe.
94	iliyokosolewa	revised	adjective	Kitabu iliyokosolewa kina maelezo mazuri.
95	muonekano	appearance	noun	muonekano wa jiji umependeza sana.
96	anavyoelezea	to describe	verb	Mwandishi anavyoelezea hadithi kwa undani.
97	geni	strange	adjective	Mtu geni alikuja kutembelea familia yetu.
98	hatarajii	unexpected	adjective	Sijui kama hatarajii atakuja.
99	iliyobaki	remaining	adjective	Tunaweza kutumia rasilimali iliyobaki kwa ajili ya mradi.
100	isiyoegemea	independent	adjective	Hii ni taarifa isiyoegemea upande wowote.
101	isiyoweza	impossible	adjective	Hali hii ni isiyoweza kubadilika kwa haraka.
102	kienyeji	local	adjective	Chakula kienyeji kinapatikana kwenye soko.
103	lisilokubalika	unacceptable	adjective	Tabia hiyo ni lisilokubalika katika jamii yetu.
104	oval	oval	adjective	Kikombe hiki kina umbo oval.
105	pabaya	bad	adjective	Hali ya hewa ilikuwa pabaya leo.
106	buluu	blue	adjective	Ninapenda rangi buluu ya baharini.
107	chengine	other	adjective	Ninahitaji njia chengine ya kutatua tatizo.
108	grand	grand	adjective	Nyumba hiyo ina muonekano grand na inavutia watu wengi.
109	laini	soft	adjective	Samahani, napenda mto laini zaidi.
110	mandhari	scenery	noun	Hii ni mandhari nzuri ya milima na maziwa.
111	mwembamba	slim	adjective	Kijana yule ana mwili mwembamba sana.
112	usiofaa	unfit	adjective	Hii ni kazi usiofaa kwa sababu haina ubora.
113	pazuri	beautiful	adjective	Hali ya hewa leo ni pazuri kwa matembezi.
114	big	big	adjective	Nyumba yao ni big sana.
115	kahawia	brown	adjective	Rangi ya kahawia inafanana na udongo.
116	machafu	dirty	adjective	Chumba changu ni machafu na kinahitaji kusafishwa.
117	yasiyoisha	endless	adjective	Maji haya ni yasiyoisha na hayana mwisho.
118	refu	long	adjective	Mti huu ni refu sana.
119	asiyetabirika	unpredictable	adjective	Hali hiyo ni asiyetabirika kwa wengi.
120	black	black	adjective	Ninapenda rangi black ya mavazi.
121	bluu	blue	adjective	Samahani, je, unaweza kuniletea kofia bluu?
122	dhabiti	solid	adjective	Kila nyumba inahitaji kuwa dhabiti ili kuwa salama.
123	haba	little	adjective	Nina haba ya chakula leo.
124	hakikubaliki	unacceptable	adjective	Tabia hiyo si hakikubaliki katika jamii yetu.
125	high	high	adjective	Jengo hilo ni high sana.
126	hilohilo	the same	adjective	Ninataka hilohilo nilichokiona jana.
127	umbo	shape	noun	Mti una umbo nzuri na majani ya kijani.
128	viola	violet	noun	Ninapenda viola za maua.
129	akiielezea	to describe	verb	Mwalimu akiielezea somo kwa wanafunzi.
130	zilizopotea	lost	adjective	Tafuteni vitu zilizopotea katika nyumba.
131	iliyopotea	lost	adjective	Kitabu iliyopotea kimepatikana.
132	isiyofaa	inappropriate	adjective	Vitu isiyofaa havikubaliki katika jamii.
133	isiyotarajiwa	unexpected	adjective	Kuna isiyotarajiwa matukio katika maisha.
134	uzuri	beauty	noun	Mji huu una uzuri wa ajabu, hasa wakati wa jua kutua.
135	maridadi	beautiful	adjective	Nyumba hiyo ina muonekano maridadi sana.
136	njano	yellow	adjective	Rangi ya jua ni njano.
137	solid	solid	adjective	Kikombe hiki ni solid na hakiwezi kuvuja.
138	deep	deep	adjective	Bahari ni deep sana na ina samaki wengi.
139	good	good	adjective	Hii ni good sana kwa afya.
140	jeupe	white	adjective	Mti huu una majani jeupe ambayo yanang'ara.
141	kibichi	raw	adjective	Samaki kibichi ni wazuri kwa afya.
142	mapele	spots	noun	Mti huu una mapele mengi ya kuvutia.
143	mibovu	defective	adjective	Samahani, hii ni bidhaa mibovu.
144	mwangalifu	careful	adjective	Unapaswa kuwa mwangalifu unapovuka barabara.
145	nene	fat	adjective	Kitabu hiki ni nene sana.
146	potovu	defective	adjective	Nyumba hiyo ni potovu na inahitaji matengenezo.
147	usiokubalika	unacceptable	adjective	Tabia hiyo ni usiokubalika katika jamii.

Tips

Learn related forms in pairs rather than alone: mbaya ('bad') and mabaya ('bad') share one stem, as do mrefu ('tall') and marefu ('long') -- the prefix shifts with the noun, the core meaning stays.
nyingi ('many') and nyingine ('other') look almost identical but mean very different things, so slow down and check which one the prompt is actually asking for before you type.
A group of adjectives -- kamili, halisi, rasmi, sahihi, thabiti and imara -- stay in one fixed form whatever noun they follow, so you can treat them as words that never need an agreement prefix.
wachache ('few') carries a plural prefix, so practise it with plural nouns, especially people, rather than with a single object.
Drill the physical-description words as one set: kubwa ('big'), mrefu ('tall'), mfupi ('short') and kijani ('green') cover size, height and colour, which is enough to describe most objects around you.
When an example sentence uses nzuri or kali, try rebuilding it with a different noun of your own -- producing the sentence is a faster check of understanding than simply recognising the word.

Frequently asked questions

Why do some Swahili describing words, like mbaya and mabaya, have the same translation?

They are forms of the same adjective: Swahili adjectives often change shape to agree with the noun class of the thing described, so mbaya and mabaya are both 'bad', used with different nouns.

Do all the adjectives on this list change form like that?

No. A number of them, including kamili, halisi, rasmi, sahihi, thabiti and imara, stay in one fixed form, so you use the same spelling regardless of the noun.

What is the best way to practise this describing-things list?

Type the Swahili word for each English prompt, and when a word has a paired form such as mbaya and mabaya, try to recall both together so the agreement pattern becomes automatic instead of something you work out each time.

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