KISWAHILI FOR BEGGINERS: The word “Kiti mwendo”

MEANING of “kiti mwendo” in English

“Kiti mwendo”means wheelchair in English.

A wheelchair is:a chair with wheels used by someone who cannot walk or has difficulty walking.

Origin The phrase comes from two Swahili words:

kiti = chair

mwendo= movement

So, it literally means “a moving chair”, which fits the idea of a wheelchair.

Example sentences

Swahili:Mgonjwa anatumia kiti mwendo hospitalini.

English:The patient uses a wheelchair in the hospital.

Swahili:Alisukumwa kwenye kiti mwendo.

English:He was pushed in a wheelchair.

Note

The more formal and commonly accepted Swahili term is:

Kiti cha magurudumu = wheelchair

But kiti mwendo” is often used in everyday (informal) speech.