nyota
The Swahili word for star is nyota.
In an astronomical sense, nyota refers to a luminous celestial body made of plasma. Metaphorically, just as in English, it is used to describe a person who is famous or highly successful.
Meaning: (astronomy) a luminous celestial body made of plasma (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
nyota is an invariant noun, which means the word form stays the same whether you are talking about one star or multiple stars.
Did you know?
- In Swahili culture, the phrase nyota yako can refer to a person's destiny or fate, rather than just their fame. If someone says your nyota is shining, they may be talking about your luck or future success.
- In some traditional coastal Swahili beliefs, certain nyota were thought to influence the timing of voyages and trade winds across the Indian Ocean.
- The word nyota shares a common ancestor with the word for 'star' in Kikuyu, which is njata, showing how the concept traveled through Bantu migrations.
Examples in context
- Nyota ya tatu ilikuwa ya mfalme fulani.The third star belonged to a certain king.This sentence shows how to use nyota when discussing ownership of a star.Tatoeba #10814255 by ecorralest101, translation #72633 by human600
- Sijawahi kuona nyota inayong'aa kama hiyo.I had never seen such a shiny star.This sentence demonstrates the use of nyota in the context of a shining celestial body.Tatoeba #10839923 by ecorralest101, translation #1334625 by marcelostockle
- Yeye ni nyota nchini Ujerumani, lakini hajulikani kabisa Amerika.He's a star in Germany, but completely unknown in America.This sentence illustrates the metaphorical use of nyota to describe a famous person.Tatoeba #10853131 by ecorralest101, translation #2724292 by Hybrid
- Kumetokea nyota kubwa kwenye anga la usiku.A big star has appeared in the night sky.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Fatuma and Omari are looking at the night sky.
- FatumaTazama nyota zile zinazong'aa huko juu.Look at those shining stars up there.
- OmariNi kweli, kuna nyota nyingi sana leo.It is true, there are so many stars today.
- FatumaJe, unaweza kuona nyota ile kubwa?Can you see that big star?
- OmariNdiyo, nyota hiyo inavutia sana.Yes, that star is very attractive.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry nyota, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nyota, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
