Gikuyu

Also known as Kikuyu, Gikuyu language, Kikuyu language, Gĩkũyũ, Gĩgĩkũyũ

Bantu language in Kenya

AI overview

Gikuyu is a Bantu language spoken primarily in Kenya, particularly in the central regions of the country. It matters because it is a major indigenous language with significant cultural and historical importance to the Kikuyu people and their communities.

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Wikidata facts

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Commons category: Kikuyu language
number of speakers, writers, or signers: 6623000
native label: Gĩgĩkũyũ
Wikimedia language code: ki
exact match: publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/language/KIK
P10369: Nicolas Sarkozy
P11012: Swiss cheese model

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Article

Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gikuyu: Gĩkũyũ [ɣēkōjó]) (also known as Gĩgĩkũyũ) is a Bantu language spoken by the Gĩkũyũ (Agĩkũyũ) of Kenya. Kikuyu is mainly spoken in the area encompassing the former Central Province (between Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Kiambu, Murang'a and Nyahururu) and surrounding areas like Nairobi, Nakuru and Laikipia. The Kikuyu people traditionally identify their ancestral lands by the surrounding mountain ranges in Central Kenya, including Mount Kenya, which they call Kĩrĩmanyaga and the Aberdare Range.

Phonology