104 Swahili Animal Names (Safari Guide for Travelers)

Swahili is one of two official languages in Uganda. In this post, you’ll learn about Swahili animal names for more than 100 African animals, including lion, giraffe, warthog, cheetah, and elephant. To round things out, we include a list of 17 characters from Lion King translated from Swahili to English.

Table of Contents

Basic Swahili Names for Animals

East Africa (including Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, the DRC) is an amazing place to see wildlife. Swahili is also the lingua franca (common language) of more than 120 million people from these same countries.

It’s worth learning some of the basic words – it’ll add to your safari experience. To get started, here are two

Animal: Mnyama (Also: wanyama)
Wildlife: Wanyamapori

104 Swahili Animal Names

Okay, let’s get started with this huge list of animal names in Swahili.

Aardvark: Muhanga
African Elk (Barbary Stag): Elk ya Kiafrika
African Wild Dog: Mbwa mwitu
Ant: Sisimizi (Also: Chugu, Sungusungu)
Flying ant: Ngumbi
Safari ant: Siafu
Antelope: Paa
Baboon: Nyani
Bat: Popo
Bat-eared fox: Mbweha masikio
Bee: Nyuki
Bird: Ndege
Blue Monkey: Kima
Buffalo: Nyati (Also: Mbogo)
Lesser Bushbaby: Komba
Bushbuck: Pongo (Also: Mbawala)
Butterfly: Kipepeo
Chameleon: Kinyonga
Camel: Ngamia
Cat: Paka
Cheetah: Duma
Chimpanzee: Sokwe
Civet: Fungo
Colobus (Black and white): Mbega mweusi mweupe
Colobus (Red): Mbega mwekundu
Colobus (Zanzibar Red): Kima punju
Cow: Ng’ombe
Crab: Kaa
Crocodile: Mamba
Deer: Paa
Dik-dik: Digidigi
Dragonfly: Kereng’ende
Duiker: Funo
Dog: Mbwa
Dolphin: Pomboo
Donkey: Punda
Duck: Bata
Eland: Pofu
Elephant: Tembo (Also: Ndovu)
Fish: Samaki
Fly: Nzi
Catfish: Kambale (Also: Kambare)
Tigerfish: Kibebe or Kachinga (Kange in Selous)
Flamingo: Heroe
Gazelle: Swala
Genet: Kala/Kanu
Giraffe: Twiga
Goat: Mbuzi
Grant’s Gazelle: Swala Granti
Guinea fowl: Kanga
Guinea pig: Sili
Hartebeest: Kongoni
Hippo: Kiboko (Also: viboko)
Rock hyrax: Pelele (Also: Wibari, Kwanga, Pimbi)
Horse: Farasi
Spotted Hyena: Fisi
Brown Hyena: Fisi kahawia
Hyrax: Pimbi
Impala: Swala pala
Insect: Mdudu (Also: dudu)
Jackal: Mbweha
Klipspringer: Mbuzi mawe
Greater Kudu: Tandala mkubwa
Lesser Kudu: Tandala mdogo
Leopard: Chui
Lion: Simba
Lizard: Mjusi
Monitor Lizard: Kenge
Mongoose: Nguchiro (Also: Kimburu)
Monkey: Tumbili
Mosquito: Mbu
Moth: Kipopo/nondo/dege
Mouse: Panya mdogo (Also: puku)
Oribi: Taya
Oryx: Choroa
Ostrich: Mbuni
Owl: Bundi (Also: Babewana, Babewatoto, Vumatiti)
Pangolin: Kakakuona
Pig: Nguruwe
Porcupine: Nungunungu
Rock python: Chat
Rabbit: Sungura
Rat: Panya
Reedbuck: Tohe
Rhinoceros: Kifaru
Roan antelope: Korongo
Rooster: Jogoo
Sable antelope: Palahala (Also: Mbarapi)
Sand fleas (jiggers): funza (viroboto vya mchanga)
Scorpion: Nge (Also: Ng’ge, Kisusuli, Akrabu)
Serval: mondo
Sheep: Kondoo
Snail: Konokono
Snake: Nyoka
Spider: Buibui
Suni antelope: Paa
Squirrel: Kindi (Also: Kidiri, Chindi, Sindi)
Thomson’s Gazelle: Swala tomi
Topi: Nyamera
Vervet Monkey: Tumbili (Also: Tumbiri)
Warthog: Ngiri
Waterbuck: Kuro
Wildebeest: Nyumbu
Zebra: Punda milia

Which of these animals do you want to see on your trip? Don’t forget to bring along a decent camera. Here’s how to choose the best safari camera for your adventure.

More reading: Complete Guide to All African Antelope

Here are some basic Swahili words for your upcoming trip.

How to Pronounce Animal Names in Swahili

Want to hear how Swahili animal names sound? Here are some basics:

A souvenir vendor in Tanzania with a Learn Swahili shirt.

What The Lion King Names Mean (17 Animals)

The majority of the names in the popular Lion King franchise have Swahili origins. Only one character has a Swahili name to match his species (Simba), while the others have descriptive names.

The most famous expression from the movie, hakuna matata, is Swahili. It means: no worries (or, no trouble).

Here are what each of the names mean, along with their language origin.