Numbers in kiSwahili
Number = Nambari
PART 1 ............. scroll down for more lessons
0 (Zero) = Sefuri or Sifuri, people would understand if you told them Zero (written as ziro in kiSwahili)
| 1 | Moja |
| 2 | Mbili |
| 3 | Tatu |
| 4 | nne (n-ne) [say 'n' as in Now, then pause and say 'ne' as in next] said in 3/4th of second |
| 5 | Tano |
| 6 | Sita |
| 7 | Saba |
| 8 | Nane |
| 9 | Tisa |
| 10 | Kumi |
| 11 | Kumi na moja (look at the pattern = ten and one) |
| 12 | kumi na mbili (ten and two) |
| 13 | kumi na tatu (ten and three) |
| 19 | kumi na tisa (ten and nine) |
| 20 | Ishirini |
| 21 | Ishirini na moja (watch the pattern again = Twenty and one) |
| 30 | Thalathini (both 'th's pronounced as th in think) |
| 40 | Arbaini or Arubaini |
| 50 | Khamsini (kh sounds like when you are trying to call a flem before spitting out) |
| 60 | Sitini |
| 70 | Sabini |
| 80 | Thamanini (again th as in think) |
| 90 | Tisini |
| 100 | Mia moja = one hundred (mia = hundred) |
| 101 | Mia moja na moja |
| 102 | Mia moja na mbili |
| 200 | Mia mbili (watch the pattern = hundred & two) |
| 300 | Mia tatu (hundred & three) |
| 900 | Mia tisa |
| 1000 | Elfu moja (elfu = thousand) |
| 2000 | Elfu mbili (watch the pattern) |
| 9000 | Elfu tisa |
| 10,000 | Elfu kumi (thousand & ten) |
| 11,000 | Elfu kumi na moja (thousand & ten and one) |
| 11,001 | Elfu kumi na moja na moja (thosand & ten and one and one) |
| 12,105 | Elfu kumi na mbili, mia moja na tano (thousand & ten and two, hundred one and five) |
| 100,000 | Laki moja (one lakh) |
| 1,000,000 | Milioni moja |
BIG NUMBERS
FRACTIONS
MORE FRACTIONS AND TELLING TIME
