Somali language
| Somali | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pronunciation | [af soːmaːli] |
| Native to | |
| Region | Horn of Africa |
| Ethnicity | Somalis |
Native speakers | 24 million (2019–2023) |
| Dialects | |
| Somali Latin alphabet (Latin script; official) Wadaad's writing (Arabic script, occasional) Osmanya script (occasional) | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Somalia Somaliland Djibouti Ethiopia |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Regulated by | Regional Somali Language Academy |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | so |
| ISO 639-2 | som |
| ISO 639-3 | som |
| Glottolog | soma1255 |
| Linguasphere | 14-GAG-a |
Primary Somali Sprachraum | |
Somali is an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic branch, primarily spoken by the Somali people, native to Greater Somalia. It is an official language in Somalia, Somaliland, and Ethiopia; one of the two national languages in Djibouti; and a recognised minority language in Kenya. Somali is officially written in the Latin script (Somali Latin alphabet), with the Arabic script (Wadaad's writing) and several local scripts (Osmanya, Kaddare and Borama scripts) being informally used.