kuna

There Is or Are

Level 1

Use kuna to say that something exists, meaning both 'there is' and 'there are'.

How It Works

Kuna is one of the most common and useful words in Swahili. You will use it constantly to introduce new information or ask if something is available.

Key Rules for Kuna:

  • Singular and Plural: It stays exactly the same. Kuna mtu (There is a person) and Kuna watu (There are people).
  • Questions: Just add a question mark or raise your voice. Kuna maji? (Is there water?)
  • The Negative: To say 'there is not' or 'there are not', use hakuna.
  • Past and Future: Kuna is only for the present tense. Literally, it means 'the place has' (ku- + -na). Because of this, the past and future forms require the word na (with/have) after the verb 'to be' (kuwa). To say 'there was' or 'there were', use kulikuwa na (literally: the place was with). For 'there will be', use kutakuwa na. The negative forms are hakukuwa na (there was/were not) and hakutakuwa na (there will not be).

Modern Usage Note:
While kuna is the everyday default for 'there is/are', native speakers still actively use pana to emphasize a very specific, definite location (e.g., Hapa pana watu). You will also frequently hear mna used to emphasize that something is inside a container, room, or boundary. Their negative forms are hapana (there is not at this specific place) and hamna (there is not inside). You likely already know hapana as the universal Swahili word for 'no', and hamna is incredibly common in everyday speech (like hamna shida for 'no problem').

Questions, Ideas and a Homophone:
Je, kuna tatizo? means “Is there a problem?” Je marks a question explicitly in writing. Kuna readily presents abstract things: kuna tofauti (there is a difference). The separate verb kuna can mean “to scratch/grate”; identify whether the word introduces existence or names an action from the surrounding syntax.

Examples (4)

  1. Kuna watu wengi nje.

    There are many people outside.

    Word by Word: There-are people many outside.

    Notice how kuna is used for plural nouns without changing.

  2. Kuna chakula?

    Is there food?

    Word by Word: There-is food?

    Kuna is frequently used to ask if something is available.

  3. Kuna shida gani?

    What problem is there? / What is wrong?

    Word by Word: There-is problem what-kind?

    A very common everyday phrase using kuna.

  4. Kuna kitabu mezani.

    There is a book on the table.

    Word by Word: There-is book table-on.

    Kuna works exactly the same way for singular nouns.

Common Mistakes

  • Trying to change the word to match a plural noun.

    Vina vitabu mezani.
    Kuna vitabu mezani.

    Because English distinguishes between 'there is' and 'there are', beginners often try to make kuna agree with plural nouns. Kuna is universal and never changes for plurals.

  • Using kuna to state the location of a specific, known person or thing.

    Juma kuna nyumbani.
    Juma yuko nyumbani.

    Use kuna to introduce the existence of something new ('There is a person'). To say where a specific, already-known person or thing is, you must use locative copulas like yuko (is located).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kunaLevel 1There Is or Are

Learn This First

To understand 'kuna' (there is/are), you need to recognize that it is a combination of the locative subject marker 'ku-' (Class 17) and the marker '-na-' (to have/with). This construction literally translates to 'it (the place) has'.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.