Theluthi moja ya maji imebaki.

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Breakdown of Theluthi moja ya maji imebaki.

• maji: the water
• moja: one
• kubaki: to remain

Questions & Answers about Theluthi moja ya maji imebaki.

Why does theluthi moja mean one third?

In Swahili, theluthi means a third / one-third as a fractional unit. Then moja means one.

So:

• theluthi moja = one third
• theluthi mbili = two thirds

This is different from English word-building, because English uses a special form like third, while Swahili often uses the fraction word first and then adds the number.

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Why is it theluthi moja, not moja theluthi?

Because in this kind of fraction expression, the normal order is:

• fraction word + number

So you say:

• theluthi moja = one third
• theluthi mbili = two thirds

Putting moja first would sound wrong here. A learner may expect English-style order, but Swahili structures this expression differently.

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Why is there ya in ya maji?