How to Say "Night" in Swahili

usiku

The Swahili word for "night" is usiku.

usiku refers to the period of time between sunset and sunrise. It can also be used as a shortened form of a greeting to mean "good night".

Meaning: period between sunset and sunrise (noun)

Related words

The noun usiku can function adverbially to mean "at night" or "during the night" without the need for an accompanying preposition.

The word usiku is inherited from the Proto-Bantu root *bʊ̀tíkʊ̀, linking it to hundreds of other languages across Central and Southern Africa.
When saying 'good night', usiku mwema is used, where mwema describes the quality of the night rather than the person's state of sleep.
While usiku is the general term, the word giza meaning 'darkness' is often used colloquially to describe the onset of night.

Waliiba duka la mapambo usiku.
They robbed the jewelry store during the night.
This sentence shows how to use usiku to describe when an action occurred during the night.
Tatoeba #10852937 by ecorralest101, translation #2667412 by MethodGT
Niliwasili hapa Jumatatu usiku.
I got here Monday night.
This sentence demonstrates using usiku to specify a particular night, such as Monday night.
Tatoeba #10877873 by ecorralest101, translation #5636633 by CK
Labda tumalizie usiku wetu hapo.
Perhaps we should call it a night.
This sentence shows the use of usiku in the context of finishing an activity for the night.
Tatoeba #10859117 by ecorralest101, translation #3413277 by CK
Leo usiku nitafanya kazi.
Tonight, I will work.
Usiku ni tamu sana.
The night is very sweet.
Napenda kuangalia nyota usiku.
I love stargazing at night.
15 more sentences on Tatoeba

Aisha and Omari are discussing their plans for the evening.

Sources

Wiktionary, “night” translations and entries usiku, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries usiku, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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