Word for the Travel Wise (11/17/06)

A good friend of mine is heading to Africa soon and while I sit wishing I too could journey to the land, I know he will bring back enough good stories to keep entertained for a minute. If I’m not mistaken, one of the countries in which he will visit is Tanzania. Lucky, dog… This word goes out to you and all your pals making the long trip over with you.

Today’s word is a Swahili word used in Tanzania:

nzuri – good

Masai-Mara has a section devoted to useful Swahili and Kenya Travels has a similar list, but to catch the missing words between the two I suggest looking at them both. The Kamusi Project is the internet’s only living Swahili dictionary which has been suspended due to funding issues. Sad, seeing it seems like one of the best sources to learning the lang, but the if you’re willing to donate a few dollars you can help keep the website alive. To learn basic background facts about Swahili check out Wikipedia. Did you know the name Swahili comes from the plural of Arabic word sahel (singular) or its plural sawahil meaning “boundary” or “coast?” Just one cool fact I discovered during the first lesson I taught.

Past Swahili words: unasemaje, simu , asubuhi, zaidi