Atlantic-Congo · ISO 639-3 vmk
Makhuwa-Shirima Language Emakuana
Makhuwa-Shirima is an Atlantic-Congo language spoken by about 1.5 million people in 1 country. It is written in the Latin script.
Where Makhuwa-Shirima is spoken
- Official language
- Regional official
- Spoken by 10%+
- 1–10%
- Smaller communities
Countries that speak Makhuwa-Shirima
About the Makhuwa-Shirima language
Makhuwa-Shirima (Emakuana) is spoken by about 1.5 million people, which makes it the 383rd most spoken language in the world — just behind Mundari (1.5 million) and ahead of Eastern Yiddish (1.5 million). It belongs to the Atlantic-Congo language family and, more precisely, to the Makua-Lomwe group within the Benue-Congo branch.
Where is Makhuwa-Shirima spoken?
Makhuwa-Shirima is used in 1 country. The largest communities live in Mozambique (1.5 million).
Makhuwa-Shirima is not a national official language anywhere.
Writing system and status
Makhuwa-Shirima 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 Makhuwa, Lomwe, Makhuwa-Meetto, Takwane, Chuwabu, Swahili and 2 more.
ISO codes: ISO 639-3 vmk.
Frequently asked questions about Makhuwa-Shirima
How many people speak Makhuwa-Shirima?
Where is Makhuwa-Shirima spoken?
What language family does Makhuwa-Shirima belong to?
What is Makhuwa-Shirima called in Makhuwa-Shirima?
Is Makhuwa-Shirima 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.