Hausa | |
---|---|
Harshen/Halshen Hausa, هَرْشَن هَوْسَ | |
Native to | Niger and Nigeria |
Region | West Africa |
Ethnicity | Hausa |
Native speakers | 80 million (2015–2016)[1] 20 million as a second language (no date)[2][3] |
Latin (Boko alphabet) Arabic (Ajami) Hausa Braille | |
Official status | |
Official language in | Niger (national status) Nigeria (national status) Ghana (national status) |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | ha |
ISO 639-2 | hau |
ISO 639-3 | hau |
Glottolog | haus1257 |
Linguasphere | 19-HAA-b |
Areas of Niger and Nigeria where Hausa people are based | |
Hausa (/ˈhaʊsə/;[4] Harshen/Halshen Hausa) is a Chadic language. It was first spoken in Southern Niger and Northern Nigeria. Now many other people in West Africa speak it. It is the most widely spoken Chadic language, with around 47 million people speaking it as a first language.[5]