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Atlantic-Congo · ISO 639-3 ktu

Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) Language Kikongo-Kituba

Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) is an Atlantic-Congo language spoken by about 5.4 million people in 1 country. It is written in the Latin script.

5.4 million
Speakers · #176 in the world
1
Countries where it is spoken
0
Countries where it is official
Safe
Endangerment status

Where Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) is spoken

  • Official language
  • Regional official
  • Spoken by 10%+
  • 1–10%
  • Smaller communities

Countries that speak Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Flag of DR Congo5.4 million · 5%

Language family

  1. Atlantic-Congo
  2. Volta-Congo
  3. Benue-Congo
  4. Bantoid
  5. Southern Bantoid
  6. Narrow Bantu
  7. Central-Western Bantu
  8. West-Coastal Bantu
  9. Nzadic
  10. Lweric
  11. Dingic
  12. Loange-Atlantic
  13. KLC Extended
  14. Kikongo Language Cluster
  15. Nuclear KLC
  16. Kikongoic
  17. Kambakunyic Kikongo
  18. Kilaadic Kikongo
  19. Central-Southern Kikongo
  20. Southeastern Kikongo
  21. Southern Kikongo
  22. Koongo-Kituba
  23. Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Writing system

Latin script

Related languages

About the Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) language

Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) (Kikongo-Kituba) is spoken by about 5.4 million people, which makes it the 176th most spoken language in the world — just behind Bemba (Zambia) (5.4 million) and ahead of Northeastern Dinka (5.3 million). It belongs to the Atlantic-Congo language family and, more precisely, to the Koongo-Kituba group within the Benue-Congo branch.

Where is Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) spoken?

Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) is used in 1 country. The largest communities live in DR Congo (5.4 million).

Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) is not a national official language anywhere.

Writing system and status

Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) 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 Koongo, Lingala, Luba-Lulua, Umbundu, Kimbundu, Bangala and 2 more.

ISO codes: ISO 639-3 ktu.

Frequently asked questions about Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo)

How many people speak Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo)?

About 5.4 million people — #176 among the world's languages.

Where is Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) spoken?

Mostly in DR Congo (5.4 million).

What language family does Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) belong to?

Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) belongs to the Atlantic-Congo family: Atlantic-Congo › Volta-Congo › Benue-Congo › Bantoid › Southern Bantoid › Narrow Bantu › Central-Western Bantu › West-Coastal Bantu › Nzadic › Lweric › Dingic › Loange-Atlantic › KLC Extended › Kikongo Language Cluster › Nuclear KLC › Kikongoic › Kambakunyic Kikongo › Kilaadic Kikongo › Central-Southern Kikongo › Southeastern Kikongo › Southern Kikongo › Koongo-Kituba.

What is Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) called in Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo)?

Its speakers call it Kikongo-Kituba.

Is Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) an endangered language?

No — Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo) is not endangered.

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.