hujambo
hujambo is the Swahili phrase for "how are you".
hujambo is a standard greeting used to initiate a conversation by asking about someone's well-being.
Which one should you use?
hujambo is used when addressing one person, whereas hamjambo is used when addressing a group of people.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the greeting is hamjambo.
When do people say it?
The standard response to the greeting hujambo is sijambo. For other ways to greet or ask about well-being, you might use Habari yako? (a polite way to ask "How are you?" in a formal setting), Habari za leo? ("How is your day?") or the formal Ninakusalimu ("I greet you").
Did you know?
- While hujambo is taught to learners, many urban Swahili speakers prefer the slang greeting mambo, to which the correct response is poa, meaning 'cool'.
- In many Swahili-speaking cultures, failing to exchange a greeting like hujambo is considered a significant social snub and can be seen as a sign of poor upbringing.
- The literal translation of hujambo is 'you have no problem' or 'you have no matter'.
Examples in context
- Hujambo rafiki?How are you, friend?
- Hujambo mwalimu?How are you, teacher?
- Hujambo mgeni wetu?How are you, our guest?
Example conversation
Neema meets Omari on the street.
- NeemaHujambo, Omari?How are you, Omari?
- OmariSijambo, Neema.I am fine, Neema.
- NeemaHabari za leo?How is your day?
- OmariNzuri sana.Very good.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hujambo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hujambo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
