Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Mastering numbers 6-10 in Swahili is simple: just memorize the five core words and use them as standalone nouns.
- 6 is 'sita'. Example: 'Nina vitabu sita' (I have six books).
- 7 is 'saba'. Example: 'Kuna siku saba' (There are seven days).
- 8 is 'nane' and 9 is 'tisa'. 10 is 'kumi'.
Cardinal Numbers 6-10
| Number | Swahili | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
|
6
|
sita
|
SEE-tah
|
|
7
|
saba
|
SAH-bah
|
|
8
|
nane
|
NAH-neh
|
|
9
|
tisa
|
TEE-sah
|
|
10
|
kumi
|
KOO-mee
|
Meanings
These are the cardinal numbers used to quantify objects or count items from six to ten.
Counting
Used for simple counting or identifying quantities.
“Sita, saba, nane, tisa, kumi.”
“Kuna watu sita.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Noun + Number
|
Watu sita
|
|
Question
|
Kuna + Noun + Number?
|
Kuna watu sita?
|
|
Negative
|
Hakuna + Noun + Number
|
Hakuna watu sita
|
|
Short Answer
|
Number
|
Sita
|
|
Plural
|
Noun + Number
|
Vitabu nane
|
|
Count
|
Number
|
Tisa
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
Nina vitu sita. (General)
Nina sita. (General)
Nina sita. (General)
Nina sita. (General)
Numbers 6-10
Numbers
- • sita
- • saba
- • nane
- • tisa
- • kumi
レベル別の例文
Nina kalamu sita.
I have six pens.
Kuna watu saba.
There are seven people.
Nataka mayai nane.
I want eight eggs.
Saa tisa.
Three o'clock.
Tuna vitabu kumi mezani.
We have ten books on the table.
Alinunua machungwa sita.
He bought six oranges.
Kuna siku saba katika wiki.
There are seven days in a week.
Nimeona ndege tisa.
I have seen nine birds.
Bei ya vitu hivi ni shilingi nane.
The price of these items is eight shillings.
Kikundi kina wanachama sita.
The group has six members.
Tumechelewa kwa dakika tisa.
We are nine minutes late.
Kuna majengo kumi mapya.
There are ten new buildings.
Idadi ya washiriki imefikia saba.
The number of participants has reached seven.
Kuna sababu sita za kufanya hivi.
There are six reasons to do this.
Tunahitaji watu nane zaidi.
We need eight more people.
Kumi ni namba ya bahati.
Ten is a lucky number.
Kuna tofauti tisa kati ya mifumo hii.
There are nine differences between these systems.
Tumechagua wagombea sita bora.
We have selected the six best candidates.
Kuna hatua saba za mchakato huu.
There are seven steps to this process.
Kuna nane kati ya kumi waliofaulu.
Eight out of ten passed.
Katika utafiti huu, tuligundua sababu tisa kuu.
In this study, we identified nine main causes.
Kuna kumi kati ya mambo haya yaliyojadiliwa.
There are ten among these things discussed.
Kuna sita kati ya kumi waliojitokeza.
Six out of ten showed up.
Saba ni namba yenye umuhimu wa kitamaduni.
Seven is a number with cultural significance.
間違えやすい
1-5 change with noun class, 6-10 do not.
They sound similar.
None.
よくある間違い
visita
sita
nne
nane
kumi vitabu
vitabu kumi
sitaa
sita
watu sita
watu sita
kumi ya vitabu
vitabu kumi
sabaa
saba
vitabu vya sita
vitabu sita
sita vitabu
vitabu sita
tisaa
tisa
sita wao
sita
kumi za watu
watu kumi
nane ya
nane
文型パターン
Nina ___ ___.
Kuna ___ ___ hapa.
Nataka kununua ___ ___.
Tuna ___ ___ katika darasa.
Real World Usage
Nataka maembe sita.
Nina kalamu saba.
Kuna watu nane.
Tuna dakika tisa.
Nataka kumi.
Picha sita.
Practice aloud
Don't add prefixes
Use them daily
Arabic roots
Smart Tips
Don't add prefixes.
Focus on the noun first.
Check spelling.
Use mnemonics.
発音
Vowel clarity
Swahili vowels are pure and short.
Statement
Nina sita.
Falling intonation at the end.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Sita, Saba, Nane, Tisa, Kumi: Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten. Remember: 'Six-Sita, Seven-Saba, Eight-Nane, Nine-Tisa, Ten-Kumi'.
視覚的連想
Imagine six stars (sita), seven apples (saba), eight bananas (nane), nine tigers (tisa), and ten keys (kumi).
Rhyme
Sita, saba, nane, tisa, kumi, counting numbers is easy for me!
Story
I went to the market. I bought six (sita) mangoes. Then I saw seven (saba) birds. I walked eight (nane) miles. I saw nine (tisa) cars. Finally, I bought ten (kumi) flowers.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Count ten items in your room aloud in Swahili right now.
文化メモ
Numbers are used in daily market haggling.
Numbers are used in matatu fares.
Arabic influence is strong in counting.
Numbers 6-10 in Swahili are a mix of Bantu and Arabic roots.
会話のきっかけ
Una vitabu vingapi?
Kuna watu wangapi hapa?
Bei ya hii ni shilingi ngapi?
Unaweza kuhesabu hadi kumi?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
Nina vitabu ___.
How do you say 8?
Find and fix the mistake:
Watu visita.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
I have ten pens.
Answer starts with: Nin...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
9
Kuna siku ___ katika wiki.
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercisesNina vitabu ___.
How do you say 8?
Find and fix the mistake:
Watu visita.
sita / vitabu / Nina
I have ten pens.
6
9
Kuna siku ___ katika wiki.
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
No, they are invariant.
After the noun.
Yes, they are standard.
It's a Bantu root.
Yes.
Yes, 1-5 use prefixes.
Yes, from 'sitta'.
Kumi.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez
Swahili has noun classes, Spanish has gender.
six, sept, huit, neuf, dix
French has complex spelling rules.
sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn
German has different phonetics.
roku, nana, hachi, kyu, juu
Swahili doesn't use counters.
sitta, sab'a, thamaniya, tis'a, 'ashara
Arabic has gendered numbers.
liu, qi, ba, jiu, shi
Swahili doesn't use measure words.
