Fedha kwa njia ya simu ni salama.

A word-for-word breakdown is:

• fedha = money, funds
• kwa = by, through, via, with
• njia = way, method, means
• ya = of
• simu = phone
• ni = is/are
• salama = safe, secure

So the literal sense is something like Money by way of phone is safe, which is then expressed naturally in English according to context.

Because Swahili does not use articles the way English does. There is no direct equivalent of a/an or the in most ordinary sentences.

So fedha can mean:

• money
• the money
• sometimes funds

The exact sense comes from context. In this sentence, it is a general statement, so English usually uses money without an article.

Kwa njia ya is a very common expression meaning:

• by means of
• through
• via

So kwa njia ya simu means by phone or via phone.

This pattern is useful in many other sentences too:

• kwa njia ya posta = by post
• kwa njia ya mtandao = via the internet

It can sound a little more formal or explicit than simply using kwa on its own.

Because ya agrees with njia, not with simu.

In Swahili, the connector meaning of changes according to the noun before it. Here that noun is njia.

So:

• njia ya simu = the way/method of the phone

A technical point: njia belongs to a noun class whose singular linker is ya. If it were treated as plural in a different structure, you could get za, but in this fixed expression kwa njia ya ..., the singular idea by means of ... is what you normally see.

You can absolutely build similar phrases yourself. It is not just one frozen idiom.

The pattern is:

kwa njia ya + noun

meaning by means of + noun or through + noun.

Examples:

• kwa njia ya barua = by letter
• kwa njia ya redio = by radio
• kwa njia ya benki = through the bank

So once you know the pattern, you can reuse it productively.

Ni is the copula here, meaning is/are.

In this sentence:

• Fedha kwa njia ya simu ni salama
• = Money via phone is safe

A useful thing for learners: ni does not change for person or number the way English does.

For example:

• Mimi ni tayari = I am ready
• Yeye ni tayari = He/She is ready
• Wao ni tayari = They are ready

So in simple sentences like this, ni is the standard word for is/are/am.

Because salama is one of the descriptive words that usually stays the same form.

Many Swahili adjectives do show noun-class agreement:

• mtoto mzuri = a good child
• watoto wazuri = good children

But salama is commonly used as an invariable descriptive word:

• mtoto ni salama = the child is safe
• watoto ni salama = the children are safe
• fedha ni salama = the money is safe

So it stays salama regardless of the noun.

Here fedha is best understood as a mass noun, like money in English.

So it is not really about counting separate items. It refers to money in a general sense. That is why the most natural English equivalent is usually just money, not moneys.

In many contexts, fedha can also mean funds or finances, especially in formal or institutional language.

Yes, often you can.

Both pesa and fedha relate to money, but there is a slight difference in tone:

• pesa = very common, everyday word for money
• fedha = a bit more formal, financial, or official

So:

• Pesa kwa njia ya simu ni salama

is understandable and natural in many contexts.

But fedha may sound better in formal writing, banking language, public information, or policy-style statements.

Literally, simu means phone/telephone.

But in modern East African usage, it very often refers to a mobile phone unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. In a sentence about transferring or storing money, listeners will normally understand simu as a mobile phone.

So in real-life context, this sentence strongly suggests mobile money or phone-based financial services.

Yes, but the original order is straightforward and natural.

The basic structure is:

subject + ni + description

Here the whole subject is:

• Fedha kwa njia ya simu = money via phone

And the description is:

• salama = safe

So the sentence is built very much like:

• This thing
  • is
    • safe

You can sometimes move parts around for emphasis in Swahili, but for a learner, the given order is the safest and most standard one to copy.