safi
adjective
clean; pure.
Use safi after the thing it describes: maji safi, “clean water”. The adjective does not take a noun-class agreement prefix.
Origins
Safi comes from Arabic صافٍ (ṣāf(in)), “clear, pure”. It became an unchanging adjective in Swahili, used for clean or pure things. Older Swahili also records swafi as a variant.
Sources4
Thilo C. Schadeberg, World Loanword Database: Swahili donor record (2009), safi, page 412.
Safi comes from Arabic صافٍ (ṣāf(in)), “clear, pure”. It became an unchanging adjective in Swahili, used for clean or pure things. Older Swahili also records swafi as a variant.
Haspelmath and Tadmor / Lexibank, World Loanword Database CLDF (2009), wold-master/cldf/forms.csv row 46606.
Safi comes from Arabic صافٍ (ṣāf(in)), “clear, pure”. It became an unchanging adjective in Swahili, used for clean or pure things. Older Swahili also records swafi as a variant. Safi is an invariable adjective.
A. C. Madan, Swahili-English Dictionary (1903), 357.
Clean or pure; also clear, honest, or sincere in some contexts. Use safi after the thing it describes: maji safi, clean water. Older usage also describes clear statements or an honest character. Safi comes from Arabic صافٍ (ṣāf(in)), “clear, pure”. It became an unchanging adjective in Swahili, used for clean or pure things. Older Swahili also records swafi as a variant.
Cairo Arabic Language Academy, المعجم الوسيط, safi, page 1.
Safi comes from Arabic صافٍ (ṣāf(in)), “clear, pure”. It became an unchanging adjective in Swahili, used for clean or pure things. Older Swahili also records swafi as a variant.
Examples
Ninahitaji maji safi.
I need clean water.
Chumba hiki ni safi.
This room is clean.
Nguo zako ni safi.
Your clothes are clean.
Tumia kikombe safi.
Use a clean cup.
Meza hii ni safi sasa.
This table is clean now.
Je, taulo hizi ni safi?
Are these towels clean?
Hoteli ina vyumba safi.
The hotel has clean rooms.
Weka chakula kwenye sahani safi.
Put the food on a clean plate.
Tunataka mazingira safi.
We want a clean environment.
