Swahili
RegionEast Africa
FamilyNiger-Congo (Bantu)
Speakers71 million total
ScriptLatin
TypeAlphabetic
About Swahili
The lingua franca of East Africa. Official language of Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. Has absorbed many Arabic loanwords through centuries of Indian Ocean trade. The word safari comes from Swahili. Uses a noun class system with 18 categories.
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