msomaji

Msomaji is a Kiswahili noun meaning "reader." It designates a person who reads and is commonly used to refer to the audience of newspapers, magazines, and online publications. The term is widely understood in Swahili-speaking areas of East Africa, from Kenya and Tanzania to parts of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Kiswahili is used.

The word is formed from soma, "to read," with Swahili nominal patterns for agent nouns. Singular is msomaji; plural is wasomaji. When specifying context, phrases such as msomaji wa gazeti ("newspaper reader") or msomaji wa tovuti ("website reader") are common.

In journalism and publishing, msomaji is a neutral label for readers. It appears in editorials, circulation reports, and reader surveys, and can be used to address or discuss the audience in inclusive terms. The term is not tied to a single platform and can refer to readers of print and digital media alike.

Related terms include wasomaji (readers) and other agent-noun forms in Kiswahili. For broader language context, see Kiswahili grammar and Swahili-language media studies.