hakuna matata

[huh-koo-nuh muh-to-tuh]

noun

1. no worries or no troubles: a Swahili phrase used to suggest that a person should enjoy life and not worry about things they cannot control.

   She claims that adopting an outlook of hakuna matata has boosted her overall happiness.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hakuna matata¹

From Swahili: literally “there are no troubles (here)”; from the 1994 Disney movie The Lion King, in which the phrase was frequently used and was also the name of a song

Example Sentences

“You know what my community values are, Buster? Freedom of speech!” he said, “Or as Alexander Hamilton called it, ‘Hakuna matata.’”

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The president had no idea it existed, and his staff referred to it as “that Hakuna Matata thing.”

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This ‘Lion King’ prequel from ‘Moonlight’ director Barry Jenkins doesn’t have a ‘Hakuna Matata’ ear worm, but Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs are pretty terrific.

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They aren’t built for bombast, and none are as in-the-moment ear-wormy as “Hakuna Matata,” although there’s a slithery villain’s ditty by Mads Mikkelson that became my favorite once I came around to the lyrics: “Cause I’m gonna be / the last thing you see / before you go / bye-bye.”

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The “Moana 2” song adopts this Pacific Islander greeting as a life ethos, similar to how “Hakuna Matata” frames a Swahili translation as a personal motto in “The Lion King.”

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