Jifunze Kiswahili

Meaning of “Jirani”

The word “jirani” is a Swahili noun that means:Neighbor – someone who lives near you (either at home or in another setting like work, school, or business).It can also refer to proximity (someone or something that is nearby).

Origin Jirani comes from the Swahili root -jiran-, which is derived from the Arabic word “jār” (جار) meaning neighbor.Because Swahili is a Bantu language with strong Arabic influence (due to historical trade and cultural interactions along the East African coast), many Arabic words were adopted into Swahili — jirani is one of them.

How to Use in a SentenceHere are some examples:1. Huyu ni jirani yangu.(This is my neighbor.)2. Jirani zetu ni wapole sana.(Our neighbors are very kind.)3. Kuna kelele kutoka kwa jirani.(There is noise coming from the neighbor.)4. Alinisaidia kama jirani mwema.(He helped me like a good neighbor.)

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