Languages

Zulu

Bantu Languages

Citation Formats

General Reference

Language Atlas. "Zulu." Accessed September 1, 2026. https://language.interactiveatlas.org/languages/zulu.

APA Style

Language Atlas. (n.d.). Zulu. Retrieved September 1, 2026, from https://language.interactiveatlas.org/languages/zulu

BibTeX

@misc{languageatlas-zulu,
  author = {Language Atlas},
  title = {Zulu},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://language.interactiveatlas.org/languages/zulu},
  note = {Accessed September 1, 2026}
}

Zulu, also known by its endonym isiZulu, is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch, indigenous to Southern Africa and concentrated in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It became one of South Africa's 12 official languages in 1994.

Facts

ISO 639-3 Code

zul 1

Speaker Count

12,000,000 1

2013-2017 estimate, first-language (L1) speakers, per the infobox; the lead paragraph elsewhere cites a slightly higher figure of about 13.56 million.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Zulu Language

Wikimedia FoundationLead section

Quote, Lead section

Zulu, also known by its endonym isiZulu, is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken in, and indigenous to, Southern Africa with about 13.56 million native speakers, who primarily inhabit the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa, and it is understood by over 50% of its population. It became one of South Africa's 12 official languages in 1994.

View the Source

1. Wikipedia: Zulu Language

Wikimedia FoundationInfobox, ISO 639-3

Quote, Infobox, ISO 639-3