925 km away
The historical Swahili variety of Mombasa and the Kenyan coast. The classical literary Swahili of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Somali
Also known as: Soomaali
A Cushitic Afroasiatic language and the official language of Somalia. Also widely spoken in Somaliland, Djibouti, the Somali Region of Ethiopia, and north-eastern Kenya.
Shareable facts
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Somali?
Somali is a dialect of the Somali language.
Where is Somali spoken?
Somali is primarily spoken in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya.
Which region is Somali associated with?
Somali is part of the East & Southern Africa region on DialectAtlas.
Is Somali known by other names?
Yes — Somali is also referred to as Soomaali.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →943 km away
A Cushitic Afroasiatic language of southern Ethiopia, spoken by the Sidama people around Hawassa. Around three million speakers; written in a Latin-based orthography.
972 km away
A Bantu language and the largest indigenous language of Kenya, spoken across the central highlands around Mount Kenya. Around 8 million speakers.
980 km away
A Bantu language of south-eastern Kenya, closely related to Kikuyu. Around 4 million speakers across Machakos, Kitui, and Makueni counties.
987 km away
A Cushitic Afroasiatic language and the most-spoken language of Ethiopia, with around 37 million speakers. The official working language of the Oromia Region, written in Latin-based Qubee.
996 km away
An Omotic Afroasiatic language of southern Ethiopia, spoken around Wolaita Sodo. Around 2 million speakers; one of the larger Omotic languages, a family found nowhere outside Ethiopia.