gani

Which or What Kind Gani

Level 1

Use gani right after a noun to ask 'what kind of' or 'which' one.

How It Works

In Swahili, when you want to ask about the specific type, category, or nature of something, you use the word gani. It translates to 'what kind of', 'what sort of', or 'which'.

Key Rules for Using Gani:

  • Position: It must always come immediately after the noun it modifies. Because it must follow a noun, gani is rarely the first word of a sentence, though it can be used alone as a one-word question (e.g., 'Gani?' meaning 'Which one?') in conversation.
  • No Prefixes: Unlike most Swahili adjectives, gani is completely invariable. It never takes noun class agreement prefixes. Whether the noun is singular, plural, animate, or inanimate, it is always just gani.

Gani vs. Other Question Words:

  • Gani vs. -pi: Traditionally, use gani to ask about the type or category (e.g., 'What kind of book?'), and use Which with -pi when asking someone to choose a specific item from a known, limited set. However, in everyday spoken Swahili, gani is highly versatile and frequently used as a direct substitute for -pi to mean 'which one?'. This is because -pi requires noun class prefixes, making the invariable gani a convenient shortcut.
  • Gani vs. Nini: Use gani after a noun. Use What with nini as an independent pronoun (e.g., 'What are you doing?'). You cannot say 'kitabu nini' for 'what book'; you must say 'kitabu gani'.

Common Compound Questions:
Gani is heavily used to form core compound question phrases. For example:

  • Kiasi gani: How much (amount)
  • Bei gani: How much (price)
  • Muda gani: How long / What period of time
  • Wakati gani: At what time / When
  • Jinsi gani: How / In what way
  • Namna gani: How / What sort of way / What's up
  • Hali gani: How are you / What is the condition

Note: Do not use muda gani or wakati gani to ask for the current clock time. To ask "What time is it?", you must use Saa ngapi? (see Swahili Clock Time).

Examples (4)

  1. Unafanya kazi gani?

    What kind of work do you do?

    Word by Word: You do work what kind?

    A very common everyday question asking about someone's profession or current task.

  2. Unapenda chakula gani?

    What kind of food do you like?

    Word by Word: You like food what kind?

    Gani directly follows the noun 'chakula' (food) to ask about the category or type.

  3. Gari gani limeharibika?

    Which/What kind of car has broken down?

    Word by Word: Car which has broken down?

    Even when asking about the subject, the noun comes first, so gani is never the first word of the sentence.

  4. Huyu ni mtu gani?

    What kind of person is this?

    Word by Word: This is person what kind?

    Notice that gani does not take an m- prefix, even though it modifies a person (mtu).

Common Mistakes

  • Putting gani before the noun.

    Gani kitabu?
    Kitabu gani?

    Because English puts the question word first ('Which book?'), beginners often place gani before the noun. In Swahili, it must always follow the noun.

  • Adding noun class prefixes to gani.

    Chakula chigani?
    Chakula gani?

    Unlike most Swahili adjectives, gani is invariable. It never takes any noun class prefixes, regardless of the noun it modifies.

  • Using nini instead of gani after a noun.

    Unasoma kitabu nini?
    Unasoma kitabu gani?

    Nini is a pronoun meaning 'what' and stands alone. To ask 'what book' or 'what kind of book', you must use the adjective gani.

How It Connects

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

ganiLevel 1Which or What Kind Gani

Learn This First

To use 'gani' correctly, a learner needs to understand the basic structure of Swahili nouns and their placement in a sentence. Unlike many other Swahili modifiers, 'gani' is invariant (it does not change based on the noun class), but the learner must still be familiar with the noun class system to identify the objects they are asking about.

Words in This Pattern

gani