Jambo is a Swahili

greeting Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between indivi ...

salutation A salutation is a greeting used in a letter or other communication. Salutations can be formal or informal. The most common form of salutation in an English letter is wed by the recipient's given name or title. For each style of salutation there i ...

. It is similar in meaning to the English word ''

Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...

''.

Linguistically

Specifically, Jambo is a

Swahili language Swahili, also known by its local name , is the native language of the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent litoral islands). It is a Bantu language, though Swahili ...

word that belongs to noun classes 5-6 for "collectives". Jambo primarily means 'affair', in the sense of commercial, professional, public or personal business.

Etymologically Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words an ...

it is from amba (-amba) meaning ''to say''. It is a

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

with Zulu. Secondary meanings include dealing with a thing, issue or matter.

First use

The spoken word "Jambo" was once used as a greeting among traders of the Swahili coast of

southeast Africa Southeast Africa or Southeastern Africa is an African region that is intermediate between East Africa and Southern Africa. It comprises the countries Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania ...

. See also: Prins, A.H.J. 1970. A Swahili Nautical Dictionary. Preliminary Studies in Swahili Lexicon – 1. Dar es Salaam. While less formal, it is in widespread use in East Africa and beyond. While similar in use to the English word "hello," it really meant to come and settle one's affairs in the business sense. It was used by traders from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and other lands before the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...

visited the area in 1498. It is in current use.12 Swahili words to know before traveling in East Africa by Kelly Lalonde
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Colonial use

During the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an "

Scramble for Africa The Scramble for Africa, also called the Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, was the invasion, annexation, division, and colonisation of Africa, colonization of most of Africa by seven Western Europe, Western European powers during a ...

" which brought a period of

Imperialism Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...

and East African European colonialism, the Swahili word
Bwana
was used to refer to the Europeans.

R. Mugo Gatheru R. Mugo Gatheru (21 August 1925 – 27 November 2011) was a Kenyan writer. His autobiography ''A Child of Two Worlds'' describes growing up in colonial Kenya. Gatheru was born to a squatter family living on a European farm. He attended medical ...

(2005) ''Kenya: From Colonization to Independence, 1888–1970'', McFarland, Briefly, the word today refers to "Mister" or big boss or an important person, and is occasionally used in a derogatory manner. But the historical reality of it was simply "Master." The British dictionary or older English usage refers the word "Master" as a male person who is in charge of others or of a task; Large British sailing ships, for example, typically had both a captain and a sailing master, the latter in charge of the detailed handling of the ship. In many ways in

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

the combined phrase "Jambo Bwana!" (Hello, Master!) became viewed as "Hello, Slave Driver" or "Hello, Slave Master" by those seeking independence especially in Colonial East Africa.Maloba, Wunyabari O. (1993) ''Mau Mau and Kenya: An Analysis of Peasant Revolt'', Indiana University Press, 0852557450.

Postcolonial use

After independence and over a half century of Independence, many still use the word "Jambo!" And some enterprising East Africans use the old imperialist welcoming phrase "Jambo Bwana!" as a welcome greeting seeking tourist dollars. " Jambo Bwana!" (translated as "Hello Mister!"), is also notably one of the best internationally known Kenyan hotel pop songs. That welcoming song, with some local variations including the informal name of the "Jambo! Jambo!", is sometimes used to greet visitors to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. Today, more traditional greeting or welcoming terms are encouraged for tourists to better understand and to relate to the local people. For example: In

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

and for the Swahili language, there are many tourist guides and educational pages which provide common phrases. Below are four basic ways in Swahili to say "Hello!" and a basic polite reply after the dash. 1. Hujambo - more correct than Jambo! (how are you?) – Sijambo (seeJAmbo) (I am fine / no worries)
2. Habari? (any news?) – nzuri (nZOOree) (fine)
3. U hali gani? (oo HAlee GAnee) (how are you) – njema (fine)
4. Shikamoo (a young person to an elder) – marahaba

Surname use

"Jambo" is also a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

in southern Africa. An example is Zhaimu Jambo, a retired Zimbabwean football player.

Other uses

The word ''jamboree'' is derived from the word jambo. A jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts. The word has also come to mean "a lavish or boisterous celebration or party".Jamboree. Dictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jamboree (accessed: November 02, 2015).

References

{{Reflist, 30em Greeting words and phrases Swahili language