Kiswahili Sanifu
The Tanzania-based literary and educational standard of Swahili. Modelled on the Zanzibari Kiunguja variety; Tanzania's national language and a continental lingua franca.
Kimvita
Also known as: Mombasa Swahili
The historical Swahili variety of Mombasa and the Kenyan coast. The classical literary Swahili of the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Kimvita?
Kimvita is a dialect of the Swahili language.
Where is Kimvita spoken?
Kimvita is primarily spoken in Kenya.
Which region is Kimvita associated with?
Kimvita is part of the East & Southern Africa region on DialectAtlas.
Is Kimvita known by other names?
Yes — Kimvita is also referred to as Mombasa Swahili.
What are the other dialects of Swahili?
Swahili also includes Standard Swahili, Congo Swahili, Sheng. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other Swahili dialects
See on the atlas →Kingwana
The Swahili used as a lingua franca across eastern DR Congo. A simplified contact variety, structurally divergent from the East African standard.
The youth vernacular of urban Kenya, especially Nairobi. A code-mixed register drawing on Swahili, English, and various Kenyan languages.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →310 km away
The Tanzania-based literary and educational standard of Swahili. Modelled on the Zanzibari Kiunguja variety; Tanzania's national language and a continental lingua franca.
387 km away
A Bantu language of south-eastern Kenya, closely related to Kikuyu. Around 4 million speakers across Machakos, Kitui, and Makueni counties.
439 km away
The youth vernacular of urban Kenya, especially Nairobi. A code-mixed register drawing on Swahili, English, and various Kenyan languages.
503 km away
A Bantu language and the largest indigenous language of Kenya, spoken across the central highlands around Mount Kenya. Around 8 million speakers.
506 km away
A click-language isolate spoken by the Hadza hunter-gatherers around Lake Eyasi in northern Tanzania. Fewer than 1,000 speakers; no demonstrated genetic relationship to any other language.
535 km away
A Nilotic language spoken by the Maasai people across southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Closely related to Samburu and Camus within the Maa cluster.