Je, unajua tahajia ya neno hili?

Je is a question marker. It helps signal that the sentence is a yes/no question.

So:

• Je, unajua ...? = Do you know ...?

In everyday spoken Swahili, people often leave Je out and just rely on tone or context:

• Unajua tahajia ya neno hili?

That is still completely natural.

Unajua can be broken down like this:

• u- = you (singular subject marker)
• -na- = present tense marker
• jua = know

So unajua literally means you are knowing, but in natural English it is simply you know.

In Swahili, you do not usually need a separate helping verb like English do.

English says:

• Do you know ...?

Swahili just uses the normal verb form:

• Unajua ...?

The question is shown by Je, intonation, or context—not by adding a separate word equivalent to English do.

Tahajia means spelling or orthography, depending on context. In this sentence, it means spelling.

So:

• tahajia ya neno hili = the spelling of this word

A learner should know that tahajia is a noun, not a verb. It refers to the written form of a word.

Ya is a possessive/linking word that often means of.

So:

• tahajia ya neno hili
• literally: spelling of word this
• natural English: the spelling of this word

In Swahili, this kind of connector must agree with the noun before it. Since tahajia belongs to the N-class here, the connector is ya.

Neno hili means this word.

Breakdown:

• neno = word
• hili = this

It is hili and not hii because neno belongs to a noun class that takes li- agreement in the singular. Demonstratives must match the noun class.

So:

• neno hili = this word

If the noun belonged to a different class, the form of this would change.

The plural of neno is maneno.

So:

• neno hili = this word
• maneno haya = these words

Notice that both the noun and the demonstrative change:

• singular: neno hili
• plural: maneno haya

It is neutral and polite. It can work in many situations.

• Je, unajua tahajia ya neno hili? sounds a bit more careful or textbook-like because of Je.
• Unajua tahajia ya neno hili? is more everyday and conversational.

If you want to be especially polite, you might use the plural/formal you:

• Je, mnajua tahajia ya neno hili?

But that normally means you all know or can be used respectfully in some contexts.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• ta-ha-ji-a

Each vowel is usually pronounced clearly in Swahili. The j sounds like the j in jam.

So it is roughly:

• tah-HAH-jee-ah

Swahili pronunciation is generally more regular than English spelling, so words are usually pronounced much as they are written.

This word order is the most straightforward:

• Je, unajua tahajia ya neno hili?

Swahili does allow some flexibility, but this version is the most natural for a learner to use. Since tahajia ya neno hili is the object, it normally comes after the verb unajua.

So for most purposes, it is best to keep:

• question marker
• verb
• object

Yes, but it is not exactly the same.

• Je, unajua tahajia ya neno hili? = Do you know the spelling of this word?
• Unajua jinsi ya kuandika neno hili? = Do you know how to write this word?

These are close in meaning, but the first one focuses specifically on the spelling, while the second focuses more generally on how to write it.

The comma is often used in writing because Je functions like an introductory question marker.

So you may see:

• Je, unajua tahajia ya neno hili?

The comma helps readability, but in informal writing people may omit it. The important thing is that Je marks the sentence as a question.

You would change the subject marker in the verb:

• u- = you (singular)
• m- = you (plural)

So:

• Je, unajua tahajia ya neno hili? = Do you know the spelling of this word? (to one person)
• Je, mnajua tahajia ya neno hili? = Do you all know the spelling of this word?

Breakdown of mnajua:

• m- = you plural
• -na- = present tense
• jua = know