peke
The Swahili word peke means alone or only.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish peke from the particle tu. While peke emphasizes being alone/solitary, the particle tu is used to mean 'only' in the sense of 'nothing more than'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word peke is almost always used in the construction peke yake to mean 'alone' or 'by oneself', meaning 'by himself', 'by herself' or 'by itself'. To say 'by myself', you use the construction peke yangu. When referring to a group of people, the phrase changes to peke yao to mean 'by themselves' or 'alone'.
Did you know?
- While peke refers to being alone, Swahili uses a different root for 'loneliness' as an emotional state, upweke. This allows speakers to distinguish between the physical state of being peke yake and the feeling of upweke.
- The phrase peke yake can be used to describe a unique species or a one-of-a-kind object, acting as a synonym for 'unique' in specific contexts.
- The construction peke yao specifically emphasizes that a group is acting without any outside help or influence.
Examples in context
- Nilienda peke yangu.I went alone.
Example conversation
Omari and Neema are discussing who is attending a party.
- OmariJe, utakuja na rafiki yako?Will you come with your friend?
- NeemaHapana, nitakuja peke yangu.No, I will come alone.
- OmariHata mimi nitakuja peke yangu.Even I will come alone.
- NeemaSawa, tutaonana huko.Okay, we will see each other there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry peke, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
