kusikia — to Hear, Feel | Swahili Grammar

Kusikia covers several kinds of perception: “hear” a sound, “feel” a bodily sensation, “smell/sense” an odor, or “hear” information from another source. Its regular base is siki-a. Because the stem already ends in i before final -a, present negative ends in written -ii: sisikii, hasikii.

English divides these senses among “hear,” “feel,” and sometimes “smell.” Swahili keeps sikia and lets its object or following clause identify the channel. Intentional “listen” is normally sikiliza, while reflexive jisikia is especially common for someone's overall condition.

Practical paradigm

Form	I	you (sg.)	he/she	we	you (pl.)	they
present	ninasikia	unasikia	anasikia	tunasikia	mnasikia	wanasikia
past	nilisikia	ulisikia	alisikia	tulisikia	mlisikia	walisikia
perfect	nimesikia	umesikia	amesikia	tumesikia	mmesikia	wamesikia
future	nitasikia	utasikia	atasikia	tutasikia	mtasikia	watasikia
present negative	sisikii	husikii	hasikii	hatusikii	hamsikii	hawasikii
past negative	sikusikia	hukusikia	hakusikia	hatukusikia	hamkusikia	hawakusikia
subjunctive	nisikie	usikie	asikie	tusikie	msikie	wasikie

The singular imperative is sikia! and the plural is sikieni! Bare Sikia! can mean “listen/hear this,” but sikiliza! more clearly demands sustained attention. Regular builds include ni-na-siki-a, si-siki-i, and u-siki-e.

Ninasikia mtu akibisha mlango wa nyuma; unaweza kwenda kuangalia?

I hear someone knocking on the back door; can you go and check?

Sisikii vizuri kwa sababu muziki wa jirani una sauti kubwa.

I cannot hear well because the neighbor's music is loud.

Sogea karibu ili unisikie bila mimi kupaza sauti.

Come closer so that you can hear me without my raising my voice.

The object marker in u-ni-siki-e refers to the speaker. All unlabelled constructions here are neutral in (informal) and (formal) Standard Swahili.

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The written double ii in sisikii is grammatical, not emphasis: lexical siki- plus negative final -i produces siki-i.

Hearing a sound or speaker

The perceived sound or person is the object. Specific human objects commonly receive an object marker; sounds and new inanimate objects can simply follow the verb.

Tulimsikia mwimbaji akiwa bado nyuma ya pazia.

We heard the singer while she was still behind the curtain.

Tu-li-m-siki-a indexes the specific singer as a human object. The following clause akiwa... describes her simultaneous state.

Umesikia mlio wa ajabu kutoka kwenye injini?

Have you heard a strange noise coming from the engine?

The newly introduced sound mlio wa ajabu remains an overt direct object. No object marker equivalent to English “it” is required.

Hearing an event

Like kuona, kusikia can take a perceived participant followed by a finite -ki- clause. Agreement links the object of the perception verb to the subject of the perceived event.

Nilimsikia mtoto akilia chumbani katikati ya usiku.

I heard the child crying in the bedroom in the middle of the night.

The build ni-li-m-siki-a marks mtoto as object; a-ki-li-a then marks the same singular human as subject of “cry.” English instead uses an -ing form. See simultaneous -ki- for this second clause.

Tuliwasikia majirani wakifunga madirisha mvua ilipoanza.

We heard the neighbors closing the windows when the rain started.

Plural object -wa- in tuliwasikia corresponds to plural subject wa- in wakifunga. The repetition is agreement, not redundant pronoun use.

Hearing information

With kwamba + clause, sikia means receive or learn information by report. Kusikia habari means “hear/get news,” while kusikia uvumi means “hear a rumor.”

Nimesikia kwamba barabara ya mlimani imefunguliwa tena leo.

I have heard that the mountain road reopened today.

This is neutral in conversation and common in (formal) reporting. The perfect presents the report as newly received and currently relevant.

Tulisikia habari za ushindi kupitia redio ya jamii.

We heard the news of the victory through the community radio.

Kupitia redio gives the channel. It does not replace the direct content object habari za ushindi.

Bodily sensations and smell

With sensation nouns, sikia means “feel/experience.” Frequent objects include njaa “hunger,” kiu “thirst,” baridi “cold,” joto “heat,” maumivu “pain,” and harufu “smell.”

Baada ya kutembea juani, tunasikia kiu na tunahitaji maji.

After walking in the sun, we feel thirsty and need water.

Ninasikia harufu ya gesi karibu na jiko; tufungue madirisha.

I smell gas near the stove; let's open the windows.

English uses the adjective “thirsty” and the verb “smell,” but Swahili builds both perceptions with sikia + noun. These are ordinary (informal) and (formal) uses, not figurative exceptions.

For an overall state, reflexive jisikia is often clearer:

Leo najisikia vizuri zaidi baada ya kupumzika usiku mzima.

Today I feel better after resting all night.

Na-ji-siki-a directs the experience back to the subject. Basic ninasikia vizuri most readily concerns hearing well; najisikia vizuri concerns wellbeing.

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Use sikia + sensation noun for a particular experience—sikia njaa, baridi, or maumivu. Use jisikia + manner/state expression for overall condition—najisikia vizuri/vibaya.

Sikia versus sikiliza

Sikia presents perception reaching the experiencer; sikiliza presents deliberate attention. The extended shape of sikiliza is traditionally linked to causative morphology, but the modern pair is lexicalized: sikiliza does not transparently mean “cause to hear.”

Nilisikia wimbo huo dukani, kisha nikausikiliza tena nyumbani.

I heard that song in a shop, then listened to it again at home.

The first event was exposure; the second was intentional attention. Sikiliza redio, muziki, or ushauri means listen to the radio, music, or advice.

Msikilize mhudumu hadi amalize kueleza masharti kabla ya kujibu.

Listen to the attendant until she finishes explaining the conditions before answering.

Object-marked imperative m-sikiliz-e is natural with a specific human object. It is more precise than bare sikia for an instruction to pay attention.

Common Mistakes

Losing the second i in present negation

❌ Sisiki kengele kutoka darasani.

Incorrect — negative final -i follows base siki-, producing sisikii.

✅ Sisikii kengele kutoka darasani wakati madirisha yamefungwa.

I cannot hear the bell from the classroom when the windows are closed.

Using listen for unintended perception

❌ Ninasikiliza kelele ya mashine kutoka ghorofa ya chini.

Wrong for a noise reaching you unintentionally — sikiliza implies deliberate attention.

✅ Ninasikia kelele ya mashine kutoka ghorofa ya chini sasa hivi.

I can hear machine noise from the floor below right now.

Using basic kusikia for overall wellbeing

❌ Ninasikia vizuri leo baada ya kutumia dawa.

Misleading for ‘I feel well’ — this most readily says that hearing is good.

✅ Najisikia vizuri leo baada ya kutumia dawa aliyonipa daktari.

I feel well today after taking the medicine the doctor gave me.

Adding kwa before kwamba

❌ Tumesikia kwa kwamba bei ya mafuta imepungua.

Incorrect — reported content follows kwamba directly.

✅ Tumesikia kwamba bei ya mafuta imepungua katika vituo kadhaa.

We have heard that fuel prices have fallen at several stations.

Key Takeaways

Regular sikia covers hearing, reported information, and specific bodily sensations.
Present negative preserves two written i*s: *sisikii, hasikii.
A perceived participant can be followed by an agreeing -ki- clause.
Use jisikia for overall wellbeing and sikiliza for intentional listening.
Imperatives are sikia/sikieni; deliberate instructions often prefer sikiliza/msikilize.

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