Atlantic-Congo · ISO 639-3 kde
Makonde Language Chimakonde
Makonde is an Atlantic-Congo language spoken by about 1.7 million people in 1 country. It is written in the Latin script.
Where Makonde is spoken
- Official language
- Regional official
- Spoken by 10%+
- 1–10%
- Smaller communities
About the Makonde language
Makonde (Chimakonde) is spoken by about 1.7 million people, which makes it the 341st most spoken language in the world — just behind Central Aymara (1.7 million) and ahead of Lugbara (1.7 million). It belongs to the Atlantic-Congo language family and, more precisely, to the Makondic group within the Benue-Congo branch.
Where is Makonde spoken?
Makonde is used in 1 country. The largest communities live in Tanzania (1.7 million).
Makonde is not a national official language anywhere.
Writing system and status
Makonde 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 Machinga, Yao, Swahili, Zulu, Chichewa, Tsonga and 2 more.
ISO codes: ISO 639-3 kde.
Frequently asked questions about Makonde
How many people speak Makonde?
Where is Makonde spoken?
What language family does Makonde belong to?
What is Makonde called in Makonde?
Is Makonde 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.