Maithili

Also known as Maithili language

Indo-Aryan language spoken in India and Nepal

AI overview

Maithili is a language spoken by millions of people in India and Nepal, primarily in the Mithila region of Bihar and nearby areas. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family and has a rich literary and cultural tradition that makes it important to the communities where it is spoken.

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Wikidata facts

Image: Maithili language.svg

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Wikimedia language code: mai
Commons category: Maithili language
native label: मैथिली
exact match: publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/language/MAI
P10369: Forth Bridge
number of speakers, writers, or signers: 195000

Sources (10)

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Article

Maithili (Tirhuta: 𑒧𑒻𑒟𑒱𑒪𑒲, /ˈmaɪtɪli/ MY-til-ee, Maithili: [ˈməi̯tʰɪliː]) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of India and Nepal. It is native to the Mithila region, which encompasses parts of the eastern Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand as well as Nepal's Koshi and Madhesh Provinces. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. It is the second most commonly spoken native Nepalese language constitutionally registered as one of the fourteen provincial official languages of Nepal.

It is spoken by 17 million people. of those, 3.2 million are Nepalese speakers. The language is predominantly written in Devanagari this time, but Tirhuta script which is the historical and original script of Maithili, remains widely used today. The Indian government has stepped up efforts to bring the Tirhuta, the original script of Maithili language onto major digital platforms, including Google Keyboard and Android and iOS operating systems, in a move welcomed by linguists and language activists.