Learn Hardcore Swahili: Jogoo akiwika, mama huamka mara moja kwenda jikoni. - When the rooster crows, mother wakes up immediately to go to the kitchen.

a- = subject prefix for he/she/it (class 1, used for people and some animals like jogoo “rooster”)
-ki- = “when/while” marker (a kind of subordinate/conditional marker)
wika = verb root wika = “to crow”

So akiwika literally is “when he crows / while he is crowing.” The subject is the jogoo (rooster), so it means “when the rooster crows.”

What does the -ki- in akiwika mean, and how is it used in Swahili?

The -ki- in akiwika is a tense/aspect marker that often introduces a “when / whenever / while” idea in a subordinate clause.

Pattern:

Subject
- -ki-
  - verb = when/whenever/while [subject] does [verb]

Examples:

Nikisoma, napata usingizi.
= When(ever) I read, I get sleepy.
Watoto wakicheza, wanapiga kelele.
= When the children play, they make noise.

So Jogoo akiwika = When(ever) the rooster crows…

Why is the subject marker a- used with jogoo (a rooster) instead of some other prefix?

In Swahili, many animals that are animate and individual are treated grammatically like people (noun class 1/2), and they take the a- / wa- agreement of that class.

Jogoo anawika. = The rooster crows.
Mbwa anakimbia. = The dog is running.

Even though jogoo is not a person, it is an animate being, and Swahili often uses the same agreement as for humans: a- for singular, wa- for plural. That is why you see a-ki-wika rather than, say, something like li-ki-wika.

What is the function of hu- in mama huamka?

Hu- is a habitual tense marker in Swahili. It expresses actions that happen regularly, usually, as a rule.

Key points about hu-:

It means “(usually) does / (always) does / tends to do.”
It replaces the normal subject prefix in the verb. That’s why you get:
- Mama huamka. = Mother (usually) wakes up.
  (not mama a-hu-amka, just huamka)

Compare:

Mama anaamka. = Mother is waking up / wakes up (right now / this time).
Mama huamka. = Mother (generally, habitually) wakes up (it’s her routine).

In your sentence, mama huamka presents a general habit: whenever the rooster crows, she normally wakes up.

Could I just say mama anaamka instead of mama huamka? What difference would that make?

You can say mama anaamka, but it slightly changes the feel:

Mama huamka
– Focus: a habit or routine, something that is generally true.
– Fits well with “when(ever) the rooster crows…”
Mama anaamka
– Focus: a present, ongoing, or specific event (this waking up).
– Sounds more like you are describing what happens this time or in a more immediate sense.

So:

Jogoo akiwika, mama huamka…
= When the rooster crows, mother (always/usually) wakes up… (her regular habit)
Jogoo akiwika, mama anaamka…
= When the rooster crows, mother wakes up… (can be understood, but less clearly habitual)

What does mara moja mean literally, and why is it used here?

Literally:

mara = time/occasion (as in “once, twice, three times”)
moja = one

So mara moja = “one time”, but as an idiom it means “at once / immediately / straight away.”

In your sentence:

mama huamka mara moja
= mother wakes up immediately / right away.

It emphasizes speed: she doesn’t delay; she wakes up as soon as the rooster crows.

What is the role of kwenda in mara moja kwenda jikoni? Is it an infinitive “to go”?

Yes. Kwenda is the infinitive form of the verb enda (to go).

Base verb: enda = go
Infinitive marker: ku-
With assimilation: kuenda → kwenda

So kwenda = “to go / in order to go / going.”

In your sentence:

mama huamka mara moja kwenda jikoni
literally: mother usually wakes up immediately to go to the kitchen.

Here kwenda expresses the purpose of waking up: she wakes up in order to go to the kitchen.

Why is it kwenda and not kuenda?

Swahili often changes ku- to kw- before vowels for easier pronunciation.

ku
- enda → kwenda
ku
- andika → kuandika (no change, because a is not causing that particular shift)

So kwenda is simply the standard, correct form for the infinitive of enda. You will almost always see kwenda, not kuenda, in modern standard Swahili.

What does jikoni mean, and how is it formed from jiko?

Jiko = stove / kitchen (cooking area)
-ni = locative suffix meaning in, at, on (location)

So:

jikoni = in the kitchen / at the kitchen / to the kitchen (depending on context)

In your sentence, with kwenda:

kwenda jikoni = to go to the kitchen

The -ni shows that this is a place where the action is directed.

Does jikoni here mean “in the kitchen” or “to the kitchen”?

Formally, -ni is just a locative marker (in/at/on), but with verbs of motion like kwenda (to go), it is naturally understood as “to” that place.

Niko jikoni. = I am in the kitchen.
Naenda jikoni. = I am going to the kitchen.

So in your sentence, kwenda jikoni is best translated as “to go to the kitchen,” even though the form is the same jikoni you would also use for “in the kitchen.”

Is the word order Jogoo akiwika, mama huamka mara moja kwenda jikoni fixed, or can I move parts around?

Swahili has some flexibility, but your order is the most natural:

[When-clause] + [main clause]
→ Jogoo akiwika, mama huamka mara moja kwenda jikoni.

You can also put the when-clause at the end:

Mama huamka mara moja kwenda jikoni jogoo akiwika.

This second version is grammatically possible, but it sounds less natural in everyday speech and can feel a bit heavy. In practice, speakers usually put the “when/whenever” clause first in this kind of proverb-like or habitual sentence.

Another natural variant is to drop jogoo and just say:

Akiwika jogoo, mama huamka mara moja kwenda jikoni.
(When the rooster crows, mother wakes up at once to go to the kitchen.)

But the original ordering is already good and idiomatic.

Could I use wakati or anapowika instead of akiwika? For example: Wakati jogoo anapowika, mama huamka…?

Yes, that is possible, with a slightly different style:

Jogoo akiwika, mama huamka…
– More compact, quite idiomatic, very common spoken style.
– -ki- marker gives a clear “when/whenever” sense.
Wakati jogoo anapowika, mama huamka…
– Literally: At the time when the rooster crows, mother wakes up…
– Sounds a bit more formal or explicit, because of wakati (“time, when”) + -po- (anapowika).

Both are correct; your version with akiwika is slightly simpler and very natural.

Why don’t we see a subject marker with huamka (like a- or u-)? How do we know it’s “mother wakes up”?

With the habitual marker hu-, Swahili does not use a normal subject prefix inside the verb. The verb is just:

hu-
- verb root (+ final vowel)

So:

huamka = habitually wakes up
husoma = habitually reads / usually studies
hula = usually eats

The subject is shown outside the verb by the noun (or pronoun) that comes before it:

Mama huamka. = Mother usually wakes up.
Mtoto husoma. = The child usually studies.
Wao hula hapa. = They usually eat here.

In your sentence, mama is right before huamka, so we know she is the one who habitually wakes up.