Xhosa language facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Xhosa
isiXhosa
Native to South Africa, Lesotho
Region Eastern Cape, Western Cape
Ethnicity amaXhosa, amaBhaca
Native speakers 7.6 million  (2007)
Language family
Niger–Congo
Official status
Official language in  South Africa
Guthrie code S.41
Linguasphere 99-AUT-fa incl.
varieties 99-AUT-faa
to 99-AUT-faj +
99-AUT-fb (isiHlubi)
South Africa Xhosa speakers proportion map.svg
Proportion of the South African population that speaks Xhosa at home

     0–20%      20–40%

     40–60%

     60–80%

     80–100%
This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.

Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by 7.6 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Xhosa is written using a Latin alphabet. Henry Hare Dugmore helped translate the entire Bible in Xhosa language. Xhosa has ten vowels.

Xhosa is well known for its set of three major clicks.

Images for kids

  • Stellenbosch Magistrate's Office (entrance)

    Trilingual government building sign in Afrikaans, English and Xhosa

  • Amazink entrance

    Sign outside the AmaZink township theatre restaurant in Kayamandi welcoming visitors in Xhosa

  • Henry Hare Dugmore (ca. 1890)

    Henry Hare Dugmore, an Englishman who became fluent in Xhosa, jointly produced the first translation of the Bible into the language in 1859

  • Nelson Mandela

    Nelson Mandela was a famous Xhosa speaker.


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Xhosa language Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.