nani

Who with Nani

Level 1

Nani is the Swahili word for "who" or "whom." It is used to ask about people and their names.

How It Works

Nani is the Swahili interrogative word for "who" or "whom." It is used to ask about people and their names.

Here are the most important rules for using nani:

  • Plural form: While nani doesn't take standard noun class prefixes, it uses the associative plural marker to form akina nani (or kina nani) when asking about multiple people (e.g., "Who are they?").
  • It stays in place: Swahili does not force question words to the front of the sentence. Nani stays in the exact grammatical slot where the answer belongs, following Basic Word Order. If asking about the subject, it goes at the beginning (Nani alikuja? - Who came?). If asking about the object, it goes after the verb (Ulimwona nani? - You saw who?).
  • With prepositions: It frequently follows prepositions as a separate word, such as na nani (with whom) or kwa nani (to/for whom).
  • Asking for names: A critical cultural nuance is that Swahili uses nani to ask for someone's name. You must say Jina lako ni nani? (Literally: "Who is your name?").

Be careful not to confuse it with What with nini, which sounds similar but is used only for things and actions.

Examples (6)

  1. Wewe ni nani?

    Who are you?

    Word by Word: You are who?

    This is the most basic way to ask who someone is, using the copula 'ni'.

  2. Jina lako ni nani?

    What is your name?

    Word by Word: Name your is who?

    This is the standard way to ask for someone's name in Swahili. The name is treated as part of the person's identity.

  3. Nani amefungua dirisha?

    Who opened the window?

    Word by Word: Who has-opened window?

    Here, nani is the subject of the sentence, so it naturally appears at the beginning.

  4. Ulimwona nani?

    Who did you see?

    Word by Word: You-past-him-see who?

    Because nani is the object being seen, it stays after the verb. Swahili does not move it to the front.

  5. Unazungumza na nani?

    Who are you talking to?

    Word by Word: You-present-talk with who?

    Nani frequently follows prepositions like 'na' (with/and) to mean 'with whom'.

  6. Wale ni akina nani?

    Who are those people?

    Word by Word: Those are group-of who?

    When asking about multiple people, use the plural form 'akina nani' (or 'kina nani').

Common Mistakes

  • Asking "What is your name?" using nini (what) instead of nani (who).

    Jina lako ni nini?
    Jina lako ni nani?

    In Swahili, a person's name is treated as an extension of their identity. You must ask "Who is your name?" rather than "What is your name?".

  • Forcing nani to the beginning of the sentence when asking about the object.

    Nani ulimwona?
    Ulimwona nani?

    Unlike English, Swahili usually leaves the question word where the answer would go (after the verb for objects).

How It Connects

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

naniLevel 1Who with Nani

Learn This First

To use 'nani' (who) correctly, you need to understand where nouns sit in a sentence (SVO order) and how verbs agree with human subjects (Class 1/2 agreement).

Words in This Pattern

nani