Atlantic-Congo · ISO 639-3 kik · ki
Kikuyu Language Gĩkũyũ
Kikuyu is an Atlantic-Congo language spoken by about 9.1 million people in 1 country. It is written in the Latin script.
Where Kikuyu is spoken
- Official language
- Regional official
- Spoken by 10%+
- 1–10%
- Smaller communities
Countries that speak Kikuyu
Language family
- Atlantic-Congo
- Volta-Congo
- Benue-Congo
- Bantoid
- Southern Bantoid
- Narrow Bantu
- East Bantu
- Northeast Savanna Bantu
- Central Kenya Bantu
- Gikuyu-Temi
- Kikuyu
Writing system
Latin script
Related languages
About the Kikuyu language
Kikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) is spoken by about 9.1 million people, which makes it the 133rd most spoken language in the world — just behind Hiligaynon (9.2 million) and ahead of Congo Swahili (9.1 million). It belongs to the Atlantic-Congo language family and, more precisely, to the Gikuyu-Temi group within the Benue-Congo branch.
Where is Kikuyu spoken?
Kikuyu is used in 1 country. The largest communities live in Kenya (9.9 million).
Kikuyu is not a national official language anywhere.
Writing system and status
Kikuyu is written in the Latin script. It is a safe, widely transmitted language: children still learn it at home as their first language.
Its closest relatives in the same branch of the family are Kamba (Kenya), Meru, Chuka, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Rundi and 2 more.
ISO codes: ISO 639-1 ki, ISO 639-3 kik.
Frequently asked questions about Kikuyu
How many people speak Kikuyu?
Where is Kikuyu spoken?
What language family does Kikuyu belong to?
What is Kikuyu called in Kikuyu?
Is Kikuyu an endangered language?
Data: Languages of the World dataset (MIT) — ISO 639-3, Glottolog (CC BY 4.0), Unicode CLDR, Google LinguaMeta (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata; country lists: samayo/country-json (MIT). Speaker numbers include first- and second-language speakers where sources report them.