Maithili language
| Maithili | |
|---|---|
| मैथिली | |
The word Maithili written in Devanagari and Tirhuta scripts | |
| Pronunciation | [ˈməi̯tʰɪliː] |
| Native to | India and Nepal |
| Region | Mithila |
| Ethnicity | Maithil |
Native speakers | (22 million cited 2000–2021) |
Early forms | Magadhi Prakrit
|
| Dialects | |
| |
| Official status | |
Official language in | |
| Regulated by | Sahitya Akademi, Maithili Academy, Maithili - Bhojpuri Academy, Delhi, Nepal Academy |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | mai |
| ISO 639-3 | mai |
| Glottolog | mait1250 |
Maithili-speaking region of India and Nepal | |
Maithili (/ˈmaɪtɪli/ MY-til-ee, Maithili: [ˈməi̯tʰɪliː]) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of India and Nepal. It is native to the Mithila region, which encompasses parts of the eastern Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand as well as Nepal's Koshi and Madhesh Provinces. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. It is the second most commonly spoken native Nepalese language constitutionally registered as one of the fourteen provincial official languages of Nepal.
It is spoken by 21.7 million people. Of those, 3.2 million are Nepalese speakers. The language is predominantly written in Devanagari, but the historical Tirhuta and Kaithi scripts retained some use until today.