 "Khiamniungan" is the autonym for the language, which means "the source of water" or "water people", whereas "Kalyokengnyu" is an exonym meaning "dwelling in stone", given to the group by European anthropologists after the slate roof houses the people lived in.The low number of speakers of Khiamniugan makes it vulnerable, but it is taught in schools and supported by the government through cultural programs.Like most languages spoken in Nagaland, Khiamniungan is written in a Latin alphabet, due to the early Christian missionary presence in the region.