Ask who, what, where — and say you don’t understand.

• chiyani?what? (e.g. 'Ndi chiyani?' = What is it?)
• ndani?who?
• liti?when? (e.g. 'Mufika liti?' = When will you arrive?)
• kuti?where? (e.g. 'Mukupita kuti?' = Where are you going?)
• chifukwa chiyani?why? (lit. 'because of what?')
• bwanji?how? (e.g. 'Muli bwanji?' = How are you?)
• zingati?how many? / how much? (for countable things)
• iti?which? (agrees with the noun, e.g. 'Buku liti?' = Which book?)
• kodi?question marker (sentence-initial; signals a yes/no question)
• Ndi ndani?who is it? (lit. 'it is who?')
• Ndi chiyani?what is it? (lit. 'it is what?')
• kangati?how often? / how many times?