nyumbani
The Swahili word for home is nyumbani.
nyumbani is used to refer to the location or the concept of being at home, rather than the physical structure itself.
Meaning: house or structure in which someone lives (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word nyumbani is formed by adding the locative suffix -ni to the noun nyumba (house), which effectively means 'at/to the house'.
Which one should you use?
Use nyumba to refer to the physical building (house), but use nyumbani to refer to the location or the concept of being 'at home'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Swahili, the locative form nyumbani is used as an adverb of place to indicate direction or position, whereas the noun nyumba refers to the object itself.
When do people say it?
You can say Karibu nyumbani! to mean 'Welcome home!'
Did you know?
- Swahili distinguishes between the physical building nyumba and the 'homestead' or family compound, often called boma. A boma includes the house and the surrounding fenced area.
- While nyumbani means 'at home', Swahili can turn almost any noun into a place by adding the suffix -ni. For example, shule is 'school' and shuleni is 'at school'.
- The root word nyumba is also used in various Bantu languages to describe any permanent structure, showing how the concept of 'home' is rooted in the idea of a fixed shelter.
Examples in context
- Je, wewe ni nyumbani?Are you at home?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is currently at home.Tatoeba #3172992 by ecorralest101, translation #405500 by CK
- Dan na Linda walirudi nyumbani.Dan and Linda returned home.This sentence is useful for describing the act of returning home.Tatoeba #10868950 by ecorralest101, translation #3997988 by Amastan
- Nilimuona Andrea akitoka nyumbani.I saw Andrea leaving home.This sentence is useful for describing someone leaving home.Tatoeba #10827315 by ecorralest101, translation #411935 by Dorenda
- Nilirudi nyumbani jana usiku.I returned home last night.
- Tafadhali nipe maelekezo ya kufika nyumbani kwako.Please give me directions to your home.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Fatuma and Juma are talking on the phone about dinner.
- FatumaHabari Juma, uko nyumbani sasa hivi?Hello Juma, are you at home right now?
- JumaHapana, bado niko kazini.No, I am still at work.
- FatumaSawa, nakuja nyumbani kwako saa kumi.Okay, I am coming to your home at four o'clock.
- JumaSawa Fatuma, nitakuona baadaye.Okay Fatuma, I will see you later.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
