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Umbundu dialect

Umbundu

Also known as: South Mbundu

A Bantu language and the most-spoken indigenous language of Angola, used across the central highlands around Huambo. Around 6 million speakers.

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Frequently asked questions

What language is Umbundu?

Umbundu is a dialect of the Umbundu language.

Where is Umbundu spoken?

Umbundu is primarily spoken in Angola.

Which region is Umbundu associated with?

Umbundu is part of the East & Southern Africa region on DialectAtlas.

Is Umbundu known by other names?

Yes — Umbundu is also referred to as South Mbundu.

Nearby dialects

See on the atlas →
Angolan Portuguese

579 km away

The Portuguese of Angola, used as a national lingua franca alongside Bantu languages such as Kimbundu and Umbundu, which have shaped both pronunciation and vocabulary.

Kimbundu

579 km away

A Bantu language of north-western Angola including the Luanda hinterland. Around 4 million speakers; a major substrate in Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary through the Atlantic slave trade.

Kikongo

760 km away

A Bantu language of the Kongo people, spoken across Angola, the DRC, and the Republic of the Congo. Carried abroad in the Atlantic slave trade and a major substrate in Caribbean and Brazilian creoles.

Juǀʼhoan

874 km away

A Kxʼa click language of the Kalahari, spoken by Juǀʼhoan San communities across north-eastern Namibia and north-western Botswana. The most thoroughly documented of the surviving San languages.

Lingala

935 km away

A Bantu language used as a lingua franca across the western DRC and the Republic of the Congo, with Kinshasa as its largest urban centre. The language of much of Congolese popular music.

Luba-Kasai

957 km away

A Bantu language of the Kasai region in the southern DRC and one of the four national languages of the country. Around 6 million speakers.

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