Jifunze Kiswahili

The word “Jenga” comes from the Swahili language, and its meaning and origin are quite interesting.

Meaning in Swahili”Jenga” is a verb in Swahili that means “to build” or “construct”. OriginIt comes from the Swahili language, which is widely spoken in East Africa, especially in countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and others.The root of the word is used in many forms in Swahili, for example:”Ninajenga” = I am building”Tujenge” = Let us build”Umejenga?” = Have you built?

Use in EnglishThe word “Jenga” was popularized internationally by the game called “Jenga”, created by a British woman named Leslie Scott in the 1980s. She named the game after the Swahili word “jenga”, because she spent part of her childhood in East Africa and wanted to reflect the idea of building. Example in a SentenceSwahili: “Wanafunzi wanajenga darasa lao.”English: “The students are building their classroom.”Swahili: “Jenga maisha yako kwa bidii.”English: “Build your life with effort.”

We will continue next time