kiazi
The Swahili word for potato is kiazi. Wiktionary also lists kiazi ulaya.
Meaning: plant tuber eaten as starchy vegetable (noun)
Ways to say it
| Swahili |
|---|
| kiazi |
| kiazi ulaya |
The term refers to a plant tuber eaten as a starchy vegetable.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase kiazi ulaya is a compound where ulaya means Europe, used to distinguish the potato from indigenous African tubers.
Which one should you use?
While kiazi can refer to various tubers, kiazi ulaya is used specifically to denote the common potato, meaning 'potato of Europe'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of kiazi is viazi, following the noun class system for the 'ki-/vi-' class.
Did you know?
- The word kiazi may actually trace its roots back to the Malay word keladi, which refers to a type of yam.
- Because kiazi is a broad term, a speaker might specify kiazi tamu to refer to a sweet potato, meaning 'sweet tuber'.
- In many Swahili-speaking regions, tubers categorized as viazi are considered staples that can replace maize or rice in a daily meal.
Examples in context
- Kwa kawaida, viazi hukuzwa kwa wingi katika maeneo ya milimani.Normally, potatoes are cultivated extensively in mountainous regions.
- Leo tunakula chipsi za karai.Today we are eating fried potatoes.
- Ninataka viazi.I want potatoes.
- Ninahitaji kiazi kwa chakula cha jioni.I need a potato for dinner.
- Kiazi hiki ni laini sana.This potato is very soft.
Example conversation
Aisha and Said are cooking dinner together.
- AishaSaid, tuna kiazi katika jikoni?Said, do we have a potato in the kitchen?
- SaidNdiyo, kuna kiazi kimoja hapa.Yes, there is one potato here.
- AishaTafadhali nikikatishe hiki kiazi.Please cut this potato for me.
- SaidSawa, nitakipika sasa hivi.Okay, I will cook it right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “potato” translations and entries kiazi, kiazi ulaya, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kiazi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
