Where does “hakuna matata” come from?
hakuna matata (Swahili) comes from Swahili matata, from Finnish matta, from Swedish mått, from Old Swedish mat, from Middle Low German mât, from Old Saxon māt, from Pali mātu, from Proto-Germanic mētō — to measure; to give advice; healing.
hakuna matata (Swahili): there are no problems
Definitions
- there are no problems
Ancestry of “hakuna matata”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swahili | matata | trouble, problems |
| 2 | Finnish | matta | matte |
| 3 | Swedish | mått | a measure; a measure, an action |
| 4 | Old Swedish | mat | — |
| 5 | Middle Low German | mât | — |
| 6 | Old Saxon | māt | — |
| 7 | Pali | mātu | gen/dat singular of mātar; alternative stem of... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | mētō | measure; size |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | med- | to measure; to give advice; healing |