"Tunajenga choo"

Translation: We are building a toilet

[Jb11131999]

I wonder if this has to do with the game "jenga" and how it was named? It may help some people to remember this verb if they think of that game!

[Mr.Quizzical]

The creator of Jenga!, Leslie Scott, grew up speaking Swahili in East Africa. When he created the game he did not want to call it an English name, so he named it Jenga, derived from the Swahili word for build.

[dUlOGy]

Wow! Interesting fact!

[BwanaSimba]

Just adding to the discussion toilet / toilets / lavatory / (bathroom?): In Tanzania the word 'Msala' (mi-) is often used: enda msalani = go to the toilet.

[deactivated user]

The correct answer "We are building toilet" is incorrect English.

[Catriona28475]

Looks like they fixed that now.

[Jimothey]

Funny that we could not report it as such

[DaveWakefield]

Didn't seem to like Choo as Loo

[pablopublico]

choo = loo

[whsndstalb]

Very ambitious project you guys are doing

[Howard]

"We are building a lavatory" was not accepted, but it's one of the meanings given for "choo." Is there a distinction?

[Mr.Quizzical]

Nope. Lavatory should be accepted; report it and the error will be fixed. As a general guideline, double check Duolingo's dictionary with another dictionary like Wiktionary if you aren't sure. Occasionally the sentence is right but the dictionary is wrong.

[SilasWolfe]

outhouse? it's wood...

[Mdubu_Mkubwa]

Actually, wouldnt it be tunaaka choo? I mean, maybe a wooden outhouse, but most toilets would be built with metal or ceramics (Johnson, Standard Swahili/English Dictionary, p. 7) I presume. Im not sure if there's a third word for building, or if jenga really is just a more general word for to build.