Mbugu is a Northeast Bantu language spoken by about 7,000 people in the Usambara Mountains in the Lushoto District of the north of the Tanga Region in the northeast of Tanzania.
Mbugu is considered a mixed language that combines Bantu and Cushitic elements. There are two varieties of Mbugu: Normal Mbugu (kiMbugu) and Maʼa or Inner Mbugu (kiMaʼa). While they are grammatically the same, Maʼa includes a lot vocabulary borrowed from Cushitic languages and has four extra consonants, while Mbugu does not. They are not mutually intelligible.
Mbugu is also known as Mbougou, Wamaʼa, Wa Maathi or Kibwyo, and Maʼa is also known as Maʼá or Inner Maʼá. They are written with the Latin script.
Download alphabet charts for Mbugu and Maʼa (Excel)
Details of the Mbugu and Maʼa alphabets provided by Wolfram Siegel (PDF)
Long vowels are doubled (aa).
Information about Mbugu
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbugu_language
https://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/9049
http://www.language-archives.org/language/mhd
https://aurica.ai/en/article/martin-sparks/mbugu-people/
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/mhd
https://apics-online.info/surveys/62
Aka, Aushi, Bafaw-Balong, Bangi, Bangubangu, Basaa, Bemba, Bembe, Bena, Benga, Bhaca, Bila, Bube, Budu, Bujeba, Bukusu, Bulu, Bushong, Central Kilimanjaro, Central Teke, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chopi, Chuwabu, Comorian, Dciriku, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Fuliiru, Fwe, Ganda/Luganda, Giryama, Gogo, Gungu, Gusii, Gwere, Gyele, Ha, Haya, Hehe, Herero, Ibinda, Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki, Ikizu, Ikoma, Jita, Kabwa, Kako, Kalanga, Kamba, Kanyok, Kgalagadi, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kobo, Kogo, Komo, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kuhane, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Kwambi, Kwangali, Kwasio, Lambya, Lega, Lengola, Lingala, Loma, Lomwe, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Luyana, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbama, Mbere, Mbosi, Mbugu, Mbukushu, Mbunda, Mbuun, Mende, Mongo, Mpiemo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Myene, Nambya, Nande, Ndau, Ndonga, Ngoni, Ngwii, Njebi, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyoro, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Pare, Phuthi, Punu, Rangi, Ronga, Safwa, Seki, Sena, Sengele, Shambala, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Suba, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Taita, Talinga, Tanga, Tembo, Tetela, Tonga, Tongwe, Tooro, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Turu, Umbundu, Venda, Vili, Vwanji, Wanzi, West Teke, Xhosa, Yakam, Yansi, Yao, Yasa, Yeyi, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page created: 26.08.25. Last modified: 26.08.25
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