Hakuna Matata Meaning: All About This Swahili Phrase✔️

Hakuna Matata meaning broken down

Two Swahili words form the phrase:

1. Hakuna ‘there are no/there is no’
2. Matata, the plural of the word ‘problem’

The meaning of Hakuna Matata is reminiscent of the feel-good tune, “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” popularized in the 1980s by singer-songwriter Bobbie Ferrin.

Since The Lion King’s release, it’s common to hear English speaking visitors to East Africa—or other places where Swahili is spoken—greeting each other with the words ‘Hakuna Matata.’ However, East Africans use Hakuna Matata not so much as a greeting but rather as a response to a greeting or as a type of condolence.

Hakuna Matata and other Swahili phrases

Hakuna Mata is mainly used in greetings as when someone asks, ‘How are you?’ A response could be, ‘No problem or conflict – Hakuna Matata.’

Sometimes it is used in admitting to doing a specific task without complaints like ‘Can you please help me prepare lunch today?’ ‘Hakuna Matata,’ could be the response,’ explains Douglas Mmari, a Tanzanian radio show host. ‘I don’t use these words. They’re a kind of slang language that is mostly used for tourists like the word, ‘Jambo.’’ Jambo is another Swahili greeting.

Instead, “Karibu” or “Habari” is the welcome greetings that you’ll hear many Swahili speakers use.

Another Swahili proverb that starts similar to Hakuna Matata is Hakuna masika yasiyokuwa na mbu, which translates as ‘There isn’t a rainy season without mosquitoes.’ The meaning behind the saying is, ‘there’s always some bad that comes with the good,’ which is pretty similar to the Western expression ‘every rose has a thorn.’

More Swahili words to know when you visit East Africa for a safari are:

Asante: Thank you

Kwaheri: Goodbye

Safari: Journey

Simba: Lion

Tembo: Elephant

Twiga: Giraffe

Hakuna Mata the song

In the animated movie, a meerkat named Timon and a warthog called Pumbaa croon the song Hakuna Matata as a philosophical conversation. Pumbaa’s name comes from another Swahili word, which is said to mean being foolish, silly, weak-minded, careless or negligent. They sing:

“Hakuna Matata!

What a wonderful phrase

Hakuna Matata!

Ain’t no passing craze

It means no worries

For the rest of your days

It’s our problem-free philosophy

Hakuna Matata!”

Tim Rice, an English lyricist known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, wrote the words. Elton John composed the music. Rice also worked with Disney on Aladdin and the stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.

Here’s the Hakuna Matata song in full:

After Disney trademarked the Swahili words Hakuna Matata for use on t-shirts, it caused an uproar in the African community. Some activists think the trademark perpetuates colonialism, while others charge Disney with cultural appropriation of the Swahili language. They argue that language should not be patented.