kwekwe
The Swahili word for the unwanted plant 'weed' is kwekwe.
kwekwe refers to an unwanted plant. Interestingly, the same word is used as a verb meaning to remove weeds from an area.
Meaning: unwanted plant (noun)
Which one should you use?
While kwekwe refers to the plant itself, the informal terms Bangi and Ganja are used specifically to refer to the cannabis plant (weed).
Related words
Did you know?
- The word ganja is actually a loanword from Hindi, which entered the Swahili language through historical trade routes in the Indian Ocean.
- While kwekwe is used for general weeds, the term bangi is so heavily stigmatized as a narcotic that using it for a common lawn weed could be mistaken as a confession of drug use.
- In a professional agricultural context in Tanzania, you are more likely to hear the formal term magugu used to describe weeds instead of the more colloquial kwekwe.
Example sentences for Swahili are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Bakari and Neema are working in their home garden.
- BakariNeema, tazamani kwekwe hii hapa.Neema, look at this weed here.
- NeemaItaondoa sasa hivi, Bakari.I will remove it right now, Bakari.
- BakariKuna kwekwe nyingi leo.There are many weeds today.
- NeemaTutazichimbia zote pamoja.We will dig them all out together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “weed” translations and entries kwekwe, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
