Kiswahili. Updated November 2026. 5 min read.
Your guide says the wake-up call is at saa kumi na moja. Translate it word for word and you get 'hour eleven', and you will be asleep when the vehicle leaves at five in the morning. Kiswahili counts the hours from sunrise, not from midnight, which makes perfect sense near the equator, where the sun rises and sets at about the same time all year.
The rule: Swahili time is six hours off the clock on your phone. Seven in the morning, the first hour of daylight, is saa moja (hour one). Noon is saa sita (hour six). Seven in the evening, the first hour of darkness, is saa moja again, this time usiku, at night. Count on your fingers for a day or two and it becomes natural.
What you will be able to do
- Ask the time and understand the answer in Swahili time
- Convert between your watch and Swahili time in your head
- Say morning, afternoon, evening, night and dawn
- Name the days of the week and say today, tomorrow and yesterday
- Talk about plans with the future tense
Reading the Swahili clock
| Your watch | Kiswahili | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| 5am | saa kumi na moja alfajiri | hour eleven, at dawn |
| 6am | saa kumi na mbili asubuhi | hour twelve, morning |
| 7am | saa moja asubuhi | hour one, morning |
| 8am | saa mbili asubuhi | hour two |
| 9am | saa tatu asubuhi | hour three |
| 10am | saa nne asubuhi | hour four |
| 11am | saa tano asubuhi | hour five |
| Noon | saa sita mchana | hour six, daytime |
| 1pm | saa saba mchana | hour seven |
| 3pm | saa tisa mchana | hour nine |
| 4pm | saa kumi jioni | hour ten, evening |
| 6pm | saa kumi na mbili jioni | hour twelve, evening |
| 7pm | saa moja usiku | hour one, night |
| 10pm | saa nne usiku | hour four, night |
| Midnight | saa sita usiku | hour six, night |
Halves and quarters are easy. Na nusu is and a half: saa mbili na nusu is 8:30am. Na robo is and a quarter: saa tatu na robo is 9:15am. Kasorobo is a quarter to: saa nne kasorobo is 9:45am, a quarter before hour four. For minutes, add na dakika: saa moja na dakika kumi is 7:10.
The words
| Kiswahili | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| saa | SA-a | hour; clock; watch; time |
| Saa ngapi? | SA-a NGA-pi | What time is it? |
| dakika | da-KI-ka | minute |
| alfajiri | al-fa-JI-ri | dawn, before sunrise |
| asubuhi | a-su-BU-hi | morning |
| mchana | m-CHA-na | daytime, afternoon |
| jioni | ji-O-ni | evening |
| usiku | u-SI-ku | night |
| leo / kesho / jana | LE-o / KE-sho / JA-na | today / tomorrow / yesterday |
| kesho kutwa / juzi | KE-sho KU-twa / JU-zi | the day after tomorrow / the day before yesterday |
| wiki / mwezi / mwaka | WI-ki / MWE-zi / MWA-ka | week / month (and moon) / year |
| mapema | ma-PE-ma | early |
The days of the week
| Day | Kiswahili | Say it | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Jumamosi | ju-ma-MO-si | day one of the week (mosi is an old word for one) |
| Sunday | Jumapili | ju-ma-PI-li | day two |
| Monday | Jumatatu | ju-ma-TA-tu | day three |
| Tuesday | Jumanne | ju-ma-N-ne | day four |
| Wednesday | Jumatano | ju-ma-TA-no | day five |
| Thursday | Alhamisi | al-ha-MI-si | from Arabic: the fifth |
| Friday | Ijumaa | i-ju-MA-a | from Arabic: the day of gathering, for Friday prayers |
The week is counted from Saturday, the day after Friday prayers, a trace of the coast's long Islamic history. The trick for remembering: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are tatu, nne and tano, three, four and five. Months are simply Januari, Februari, Machi, Aprili, Mei, Juni, Julai, Agosti, Septemba, Oktoba, Novemba and Desemba, or mwezi wa kwanza (the first month), mwezi wa pili (the second) and so on.
Grammar point: will, with -ta-
You now have four tenses, and they all work the same way: person, then tense marker, then verb. The future marker is -ta-: ni-ta-amka (I will wake up), tu-ta-ondoka (we will leave), u-ta-penda (you will love it). That one pattern, swapped four ways, covers most of what a traveler needs to say.
| Tense | Marker | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | -na- | tunaondoka | we are leaving (Lesson 2) |
| Past | -li- | tuliondoka | we left |
| Perfect | -me- | tumeondoka | we have left (Lesson 7) |
| Future | -ta- | tutaondoka | we will leave |
Dialogue: the night before the game drive
- Dereva: Kesho tutaondoka saa kumi na moja alfajiri.
- Wewe: Saa kumi na moja? Yaani, five a.m.?
- Dereva: Ndiyo. Chai na kahawa ni saa kumi na nusu.
- Wewe: Aah, mapema sana! Tutarudi saa ngapi?
- Dereva: Saa nne asubuhi, kwa kifungua kinywa.
- Wewe: Sawa. Leo ni Jumanne, sivyo?
- Dereva: Ndiyo. Na Ijumaa tutaenda Amboseli.
- Wewe: Asante. Usiku mwema!
Yaani means I mean, or in other words: the perfect word for checking. Saa kumi na nusu is 4:30am, tutarudi saa ngapi? is what time will we come back?, and kifungua kinywa, breakfast, is literally the mouth-opener. Sivyo? on the end of a sentence means isn't it?, and usiku mwema is good night.
Practice
- 1. Say 8am. Answer: saa mbili asubuhi.
- 2. Say 2pm. Answer: saa nane mchana.
- 3. Say 9pm. Answer: saa tatu usiku.
- 4. What time is saa kumi na mbili jioni? Answer: 6pm.
- 5. What time is saa tano na nusu asubuhi? Answer: 11:30am.
- 6. What day is Jumatano? Answer: Wednesday.
- 7. Say 'We will leave tomorrow.' Answer: Tutaondoka kesho.
- 8. Your guide says saa kumi na moja alfajiri. When do you set your alarm for? Answer: before 5am.
Cultural note: two clocks, and Kenyan time
Kenyans switch clocks with their language. Speaking English, they use the same hours you do; speaking Kiswahili, they use Swahili time, even though every phone and watch in the country shows international time. The conversion happens in people's heads, and misunderstandings happen even between Kenyans. When a time matters, check it both ways: Saa mbili asubuhi? Yaani, eight a.m.? Nobody minds being asked.
You will also hear about Kenyan time, the relaxed attitude to start times at weddings, meetings and parties, where an event called for saa nane may warm up an hour later. It does not apply to everything. Bush flights leave on schedule, parks open and close their gates at fixed hours, and the dawn game drive goes when the light is right, with or without you. Treat safari times as American times.
Say it on your trip
Each evening, ask your guide Kesho tutaondoka saa ngapi? and repeat the answer back in English. You will practise the time, the future tense and the days, and you will never miss the moment the lions are still on the kill.
Next lesson
Lesson 9 is ten proverbs Kenyans really use, and the grammar hiding inside them.
