What is the word for old person in Swahili?

Mzee or Mkongwe (the latter used for very old people). These are nouns derived from adjectives, -zee and -kongwe, used to describe people: Mtu mzee (old person), mtu mkongwe, very old person. The noun is simply dropped, as in German Der Alte. Swahili does not have feminine and masculine versions of nouns. Mzee, however, is most often used of a man: a woman is mama mzee; it would not be wrong to call her mzee but might confuse. plurals: wazee and wakongwe.