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Language

Amharic

Semitic Languages

The largest living language written in the Ge'ez script and, alongside Oromo, one of the two most widely spoken languages of Ethiopia, where it serves as the federal working language. Amharic belongs to the Ethiopian Semitic (South Semitic) branch of Afro-Asiatic, related to but distinct from the older liturgical language Ge'ez.

Facts
ISO 639-3 Code
amh 3
Speaker Count
58,800,000 2
Wikipedia 'Amharic': 33.7 million L1 speakers (2020) plus 25.1 million L2 speakers (2019) in Ethiopia, total over 58.8 million; checked 2026-09-27.
Status
Living 4
Statutory working language of the Ethiopian federal government since the 1994 constitution.
Region
Ethiopia 4
Classification
Language Kind
Safe 1
Official Status
Official Language 2
Connections

Associated With

Ge'ez, Languages

This source names Ge'ez directly: "largest living language written in the Ge'ez script and, alongside Oromo, one of the two most widely spoken languages of Ethiopia, where it serves as the federal working language."

Source Glottolog
Tigrinya, Languages

This source names Amharic directly: "Related to Amharic within the same South Semitic branch, but not mutually intelligible with it."

Source Glottolog

In Family

Afro-Asiatic, Language Families
Source Wikipedia: Amharic

Written In

Ge'ez Script, Scripts
Source Princeton McGraw Center: The Ethiopic AlphabetHamza Zafer
In the Other Atlases

Cases Where Used

Treaty of Wuchale

Also in History Atlas: used in this subject.

Amhara

Also in Society and Culture Atlas: used in this subject.

Found In

Africa

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Glottolog: Amharic (Glottolog languoid amha1245)
GlottologEndangerment, AES status
Quote, Endangerment, AES status
AES status: not endangered
View the Source
2. Wikipedia: Amharic
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Infobox, Official language in
    Ethiopia
  • In Family: Afro-Asiatic, Infobox, Language family
    Afro-Asiatic / Semitic / West Semitic / South Semitic / Ethiopic / South / Transversal / Amharic-Argobba / Amharic
View the Source
3. ISO 639-3 Registry, SIL International
SIL Internationalamh
4. Glottolog
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropologyamha1245View the Source
Princeton McGraw Center: The Ethiopic Alphabet
Hamza Zafer, Princeton University, McGraw Center for Teaching and LearningWritten In: Ge'ez ScriptView the Source
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