KISWAHILI FOR BEGINNERS: THE SWAHILI ADJECTIVE (VIVUMISHI OR SIFA)

In Kiswahili language the adjectives agree with the nouns they qualify both in number and in
Normal prefixes.

The following is a list of Swahili adjectives. it is not exhaustive, it contains, however, most of the commonly used adjectives.

Note that those which are preceded by a dash take the nominal prefixes and those which are not preceded by a dash do not take any prefix.

…….dogo, small, little. ……humu, hard, difficult
……..kubwa, big, great. …….Zima, whole, living
……..refu,long,high. …….pya,new
…….fupi, hort, shallow. …….chungu, bitter, sour
……zuri, nice pretty. …….tamu, sweet
…….Naya, bad, ugly. ……chache, few
……..Kali, sharp, fierce. ……Nene, fat
……..pole, mild gentle. ………nono, fat(animal)
…….kavu, dry……….chafu, dirty
…….bichi, unripe, raw. …….vivu, lazy
…….bovu, rotten broken. ……kuu, great
…….Pana, wide…….tupu, empty
…….embamba, slender. ……ote, all whole
…….zito, heavy. ……epesi, light, easy
……ema, kind good. …….erevu, cunning
…….ekundu, red. ……ingia, much, many
…….eusi, black. …….ingine, other

We will continue next time