Languages

Shona

Language

Citation Formats

General Reference

Language Atlas. "Shona." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://language.interactiveatlas.org/languages/shona.

APA Style

Language Atlas. (n.d.). Shona. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://language.interactiveatlas.org/languages/shona

BibTeX

@misc{languageatlas-shona,
  author = {Language Atlas},
  title = {Shona},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://language.interactiveatlas.org/languages/shona},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Shona is a Bantu language spoken by the Shona people of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, used to describe either all the Central Shonic varieties or specifically Standard Shona, a variety codified in the mid-20th century.

Facts

ISO 639-3 Code

sna 1

Speaker Count

9,600,000 1

2010-2023 estimate, first-language speakers (4.5 million second-language speakers, 2023; 14 million total).

Cross-Tradition Connections

In Family

Bantu

Source Wikipedia: Shona Language

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Shona Language

Wikimedia FoundationLead section

Quote, Lead section

Shona is a Bantu language spoken by the Shona people of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The term is variously used to collectively describe all the Central Shonic varieties (comprising Zezuru, Manyika, Korekore and Karanga or Ndau) or specifically Standard Shona, a variety codified in the mid-20th century.

View the Source

1. Wikipedia: Shona Language

Wikimedia FoundationInfobox, ISO 639-3

Quote, Infobox, ISO 639-3