kuvaa

Kuvaa is a Swahili verb meaning to wear or to put on clothing and adornments. It covers items worn on the body, such as shirts, trousers, shoes, hats, jewelry, and traditional garments. The verb describes both the act of putting on clothing and the state of already having clothing on.

Grammatically, kuvaa is a regular Bantu verb. The infinitive is kuvaa. In the present tense, subject prefixes attach to the verb, producing forms such as ninavaa (I wear), unavaa (you wear), anavaa (he/she wears), tunavaa (we wear), mnavaa (you all wear), and wanavaa (they wear). The perfect aspect is formed with me- plus the verb, giving examples like nimevaa (I have worn) and amevaa (he has worn), with others extending to the plural. The imperative form is Vaa nguo or simply Vaa, meaning “Wear clothes.”

Usage notes include that kuvaa normally takes a direct object referring to the item of clothing—examples include kuvaa shati (wear a shirt), kuvaa viatu (wear shoes), and kuvaa nguo mpya (wear new clothes). The expression is widely used in everyday speech across Swahili-speaking regions, including Kenya and Tanzania, and it also appears in ceremonial or fashion-related contexts.

See also: Swahili clothing terminology (nguo, shati, viatu, kofia). The concept of wearing clothes is central to daily life and personal presentation in Swahili-speaking communities.