chafu
CHAH-foo
How to say it
SwahilichafuCHAH-foosoon
Englishdirty, unclean; foul, indecentsoon
Frenchsale, malpropre; indécentsoon
Meaning
Describes something covered in dirt or not clean, and by extension something morally wrong or improper, such as dirty money or indecent pictures.
Good to know
An adjective stem that takes the prefix of its noun: mtu mchafu, nguo chafu, kitu kichafu, maji machafu, mikono michafu. Fedha chafu is dirty money and gesi chafu a greenhouse gas.
Examples
- Usivae shati hilo, bado ni chafu.Do not wear that shirt, it is still dirty.
- Watoto walirudi nyumbani na viatu vichafu.The children came home with dirty shoes.
- Maji machafu yanaweza kusababisha kipindupindu.Dirty water can cause cholera.
Not yet checked by a native speaker.