S'gaw Karen language

S'gaw Karen
ကညီကျိာ်, K'nyaw
Pronunciation[sɣɔʔ]
Native toMyanmar, Thailand
RegionKayin State, Myanmar
Thailand
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
Malaysia
EthnicityKaren
Native speakers
2.2 million (2010–2017)
Mon–Burmese (S'gaw Karen alphabet)
Latin script
Karen Braille
Official status
Official language in
 Myanmar
( Kayin State)
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-2kar
ISO 639-3ksw – inclusive code
Individual codes:
ksw  S'gaw
jkp  Paku
jkm  Mopwa
wea  Wewaw
Glottologsout1554
Karen languages

S'gaw Karen or S'gaw K'nyaw, commonly known simply as Karen, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the S'gaw Karen people of Myanmar and Thailand. A Karenic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, S'gaw Karen is spoken by over 2 million people in Tanintharyi Region, Ayeyarwady Region, Yangon Region, and Bago Region in Myanmar, and about 200,000 in northern and western Thailand along the border near Kayin State. It is written using the S'gaw Karen alphabet, derived from the Burmese script, although a Latin-based script is also in use among the S'gaw Karen in northwestern Thailand. Additionally, the Kwekor script is used in Hlaingbwe Township.

Various divergent dialects are sometimes seen as separate languages: Paku in the northeast, Mopwa (Mobwa) in the northwest, Wewew, and Monnepwa.