Somali language
| Somali | |
|---|---|
| Af Soomaali, Soomaali ππ ππππππ, ππππππ Ψ§Ω Ψ΅ΩΩ Ψ§ΩΩ, Ψ΅ΩΩ Ψ§ΩΩ | |
| Pronunciation | [af soΛmaΛli] |
| Region | Horn of Africa |
| Ethnicity | Somalis |
Native speakers | 24 million (2019β2024) |
| Dialects | |
| Somali Latin alphabet (Latin script; official) Wadaad's writing (Arabic script, occasional) Osmanya script (occasional) | |
| Official status | |
Official language in |  Somalia Somaliland Ethiopia Djibouti (national) |
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 (/sΙΛmΙΛli, soΚ-/ sΙ-MAH-lee, soh-; Latin script: Af Soomaali, Wadaad: Ψ§Ω Ψ΅ΩΩ Ψ§ΩΩ, Osmanya: ππ ππππππ [af soΛmaΛli]) is a Cushitic language belonging to wider Afroasiatic language family. Somali is spoken primarily in Greater Somalia, and the Somali diaspora as a mother tongue. It is an official language in Somalia, Somaliland, and Ethiopia. It serves as a national language in Djibouti, and is also a recognised minority language in Kenya. The language is officially written with the Somali Latin alphabet, although an Arabic alphabet and several indigenous scripts (Osmanya, Kaddare and Borama) are used informally.