upepo
/uˈpɛ.pɔ/
The Swahili word for wind is upepo.
upepo refers to the movement of air.
Meaning: movement of air (noun)
Which one should you use?
While upepo refers to the wind, the word dhoruba is used specifically to mean a storm.
How does it change in a sentence?
upepo is a noun belonging to the 'u-' noun class. This means it typically takes the 'u-' prefix for subject concord and possessive adjectives. However, there is a grammatical exception for possessives: when using a possessive adjective with upepo, you must use the 'w-' concord, such as in upepo wangu (my wind), rather than the 'u-' concord.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable: /uˈpɛ.pɔ/.
Did you know?
- Because upepo can mean 'spirit', it is sometimes used in religious or spiritual contexts to refer to a non-physical presence.
- Because Swahili is a lingua franca of trade, upepo was historically critical for sailors timing the monsoon winds that carried dhows between Arabia and Africa.
- In Swahili, upepo is used metaphorically to describe a 'trend' or a 'fad' that is currently blowing through society.
Examples in context
- Upepo ulirarua paa la jengo letu.The wind ripped the roof off our building.This sentence shows the destructive power of upepo.Tatoeba #10835792 by ecorralest101, translation #969139 by Serhiy
- Ninapenda sauti ya mchechemo wa upepo.I love the sound of wind chimes.This sentence uses upepo in the context of the sound of wind chimes.Tatoeba #10850935 by ecorralest101, translation #2570934 by Hybrid
- Upepo unavuma kwa kasi ya kushangaza sana.The wind is blowing at an incredible speed.This sentence describes the speed of the blowing upepo.Tatoeba #10866399 by ecorralest101, translation #3874092 by Amastan
- Kuna upepo mwanana leoThere is a gentle wind today
- Upepo sio dafu, utakuja usiku, utachukua mbeguThe wind is not a coconut, it will come at night and take the seeds away
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Said and Aisha are talking outside on a breezy day.
- SaidJe, unahisi upepo huu baridi?Do you feel this cold wind?
- AishaNdiyo, upepo unanipooza sana.Yes, the wind is cooling me down a lot.
- SaidUpepo unaweza kuangusha majani haya.The wind could blow these leaves away.
- AishaNi kweli, upepo ni mkali leo.It is true, the wind is strong today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wind” translations and entries upepo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
