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Languages

Languages of Zimbabwe

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Languages, writing systems and language context

Zimbabwe
COUNTRY LANGUAGE PROFILE
English
English
Text direction: LTR

Zimbabwe constitutionally recognises 16 languages, including sign language. The core-language set on this page follows that constitutional list rather than reducing the country to only its most widely used spoken languages.

Chewa
First listed core language
Not a speaker-share estimate
1
Writing system represented
Across the core language set
LTR
Primary text direction
Additional directions noted below

Language Overview

ChewaChibarweEnglishKalangaKoisanNambyaNdauNdebeleShanganiShonaSign languageSothoTongaTswanaVendaXhosa

Read the Characters

Chewa · 26 characters

Chewa · 26 characters
A
a
B
b
C
c
D
d
E
e
F
f
G
g
H
h
I
i
J
j
K
k
L
l
M
m
N
n
O
o
P
p
Q
q
R
r
S
s
T
t
U
u
V
v
W
w
X
x
Y
y
Z
z

How to Read the Language Landscape

PolicyLegal and administrative language status may differ between national and subnational government.
Everyday useA language can be socially dominant without being the only language used at home, school, work or in media.
Community diversityIndigenous, minority, migrant and sign languages can remain important even when they are not part of a short national headline list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What languages are used in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe constitutionally recognises 16 languages, including sign language. The core-language set on this page follows that constitutional list rather than reducing the country to only its most widely used spoken languages.

What writing systems are used in Zimbabwe?

The represented writing system is Latin and the primary direction shown is left to right.

More about Zimbabwe

Explore Zimbabwe across the other DigifyWorld country-data sections.

Public HolidaysPublic holidays 2026 and 2027→Digital AdoptionInternet, payments and digital government→Population & DemographicsPopulation, age structure and projections→Economy SnapshotGDP, trade and economic structure→Currency & ExchangeCurrency, exchange rates and money→Human DevelopmentHDI and quality-of-life indicators→Geography & EnvironmentLand, climate and environment→Practical Country InfoTime, driving, electricity and codes→EducationSchool system and education data→

Sources & methodology

View sources used for this page
Government of Zimbabwe: Constitution, Section 6

Primary constitutional source listing Zimbabwe's 16 officially recognised languages.

Constitution of Zimbabwe

Primary constitutional source. Section 6 lists the officially recognised languages of Zimbabwe.

Unicode CLDR: Country/Region Names

Localized country display-name reference. CLDR names are customary UI/display names, not claims about a state’s full constitutional long-form name.

Unicode: Supported Scripts

Reference for the writing-system/script families represented in the character component.

Unicode: Writing Direction and Bidirectional Text

Reference for left-to-right and right-to-left script direction and bidirectional text behavior.

Unicode Character Database: NamesList

Reference for Unicode character names used as small readout labels under selected character samples; these labels are not presented as a complete transliteration standard.