88 km away
A Kartvelian language of western Georgia around Zugdidi. Closely related to Georgian but linguistically distinct; primarily an oral language with limited written use.
Abkhaz
Also known as: Apswa byzshwa
A Northwest Caucasian language of Abkhazia. Famous for one of the smallest vowel inventories of any natural language (just two phonemic vowels) and a correspondingly large consonant system.
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Abkhaz?
Abkhaz is a dialect of the Abkhaz language.
Where is Abkhaz spoken?
Abkhaz is primarily spoken in Georgia.
Which region is Abkhaz associated with?
Abkhaz is part of the Middle East region on DialectAtlas.
Is Abkhaz known by other names?
Yes — Abkhaz is also referred to as Apswa byzshwa.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →125 km away
A Northwest Caucasian language of the Black Sea coast around present-day Sochi, carried to Anatolia in the 1864 deportation. Famous for one of the largest consonant inventories ever recorded — around eighty consonants against two phonemic vowels. Died with its last speaker, Tevfik Esenç, in 1992; extensively documented by Georges Dumézil.
138 km away
The most divergent Kartvelian language, spoken in the high-mountain Svaneti region of north-western Georgia. Considered to have split from Proto-Kartvelian several thousand years ago.
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A Northwest Caucasian language of the Adygea Republic in Russia. Together with Kabardian, makes up the Circassian language continuum, with a large diaspora in Turkey and the Levant.
298 km away
An eastern Iranian language of the North Caucasus, the only living descendant of the ancient Scythian-Sarmatian languages. Two main varieties: Iron (the standard) and the more divergent Digor.
341 km away
The largest Kartvelian language and the official language of Georgia. Written in the unique Mkhedruli script, with a literary tradition dating back to the 5th century.