Indo-European · ISO 639-3 mag
Magahi Language मगही
Magahi is an Indo-European language spoken by about 21 million people in 2 countries. It is written in the Devanagari and Kaithi scripts.
Where Magahi is spoken
- Official language
- Regional official
- Spoken by 10%+
- 1–10%
- Smaller communities
Countries that speak Magahi
About the Magahi language
Magahi (मगही) is spoken by about 21 million people, which makes it the 71st most spoken language in the world — just behind Northern Pashto (21 million) and ahead of Lingala (20 million). It belongs to the Indo-European language family and, more precisely, to the Magadhan group within the Indo-Iranian branch.
Where is Magahi spoken?
Magahi is used in 2 countries. The largest communities live in India (17 million).
Magahi is not a national official language anywhere.
Writing system and status
Magahi is written in the Devanagari and Kaithi scripts. 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 Bhojpuri, Maithili, Sadri, Sonha, Hindi, Urdu and 2 more.
ISO codes: ISO 639-3 mag.
Frequently asked questions about Magahi
How many people speak Magahi?
Where is Magahi spoken?
What language family does Magahi belong to?
What is Magahi called in Magahi?
Is Magahi 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.