Languages in Comoros

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The Comoros, formally known as the Union of the Comoros is an independent archipelago island country in the Indian Ocean. It is situated at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel off Africa’s eastern coast between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. Other countries neighboring the Comoros include the Seychelles to the northeast and Tanzania to the northwest. The country’s capital city is Moroni, on Grande Comore. The Comoros is made up of three main islands and many other smaller islands, all located in the volcanic Comoros Islands. The main islands are Anjouan (Nzwani), Mohéli (Mwali), and Grande Comore (Ngazidja). Besides these three islands, the country also lays claim to a forth island called Mayotte (Maore). Mayotte island, however, voted against sovereignty from France back in 1974, and has not been governed by a sovereign Comorian government, and is still ruled by France as an overseas department.

Comoros alphabet

Languages in the Comoros

The country’s constitution recognizes three formal languages. These include French, Comorian, and Arabic. There are other minor languages spoken by small groups of people throughout the country. The languages spoken in the Comoros are a reflection of the country’s long history of human interactions featuring a number of groups of people of diverse linguistic backgrounds. Before the islands were colonized by the French, Arabic and Swahili were the main languages in the country, but neither had a formal status. Relations between Arabs and Swahili people led to the formulation of a new language known as Comorian. This and other languages will be discussed in brief below.

Comorian language

This language is also referred to as Shikomori and it is one of the country’s official languages and one of most spoken dialect in Comoros. This is a Bantu language spoken not only on the Comoros Islands and Mayotte but also in Madagascar and Réunion as well. Comorian is closely related to Swahili and is at times referred to as Comores Swahili. Initially, Shikomori was written with a version of the Arab script, which is still used to date. The language adopted the Latin script during the country’s colonization by the French in the 19th century. The Latin script is still used to date but most people use both the Arabic script and the Latin script. This is the language of Udzima wa ya Masiwa, the country’s national anthem.

Comorian has four main dialects. These are Shimaore, or Maore, spoken mostly on Mayotte. The second is Shingazidja or Ngazidja spoken in Grande Comore; Shimwali or Mwali spoken on Moheli; and Shindzwani or Ndzwani spoken on Anjouan. The four dialects are further divided into two groups: the eastern group made up of Shimaore and Shindzwani dialects, and the western group made up of Shimwali and Shingazdja. The two language groups share approximately 80% of their lexicon. They are, however, mutually intelligible. This, therefore, suggests that they should be considered as two language groups and not as four dialects.

The phonology of the Comorian language is as follows:


  Front Central Back

i ĩ


u ũ







a ã



  Bilabial Labial Dental Alveolar Post alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive plain

p b


t d



k ɡ







f v

θ ð

s z

ʃ ʒ


x ɣ



ts dz

tʃ dʒ




















French in Comoros

French sign in Comoros, Source

This is one of the country’s official languages and it was introduced to the islands by colonialists from France. French has been adopted as the formal educational and administrative language and it used in many official and formal settings. After Comoros gained its independence from France, the language still maintained its formal status. Arabic is also taught in all learning institutions across the country, but French is still the main language of instruction.

Arabic in Comoros

The Comoros is a member of the Arab league and as a result, the country has taken up Arabic as one of its formal languages. Arabic is a religious language and is, therefore, the main mode of teaching in the Comorian Quranic learning institutions. The majority of the population Practices Islam, the country’s main religion, causing them to speak and communicate in Arabic.

Currently, Arabic is normally used in religious centers, that is, mosques, as a course in learning institutions, and during communication. It is also used to conduct business transactions.

Bushi language in Comoros

This language is also referred to as Kibushi and it is spoken by 40% of the people in the country especially on Mayotte Island. Bushi language is spoken alongside Shimaore in a number of villages on the island but Shimaore is the “de facto” local language of everyday life because of the bigger Shimaore-speaking populace. Some of the dialects of Bushi (“Shibushi in Shimaore) on the island include Kibushi-Kimaore referred to as “Shibushi-Shimaore” in Shimaore and Kiantalaotse. As of 2001, the number of people speaking this language was estimated at 39,000.

Traditionally, Bushi was written with an informal French-based Latin orthography. An official alphabet was introduced on 22 February 2006 by the Conseil de Culture, de l'Education et de l'Environnement de Mayotte. This alphabet makes use of the Latin alphabet without letters c, j, q, and x, and adds letters ɓ, ɗ, and n̈.

Other languages

Besides the three formal languages discussed above, there are other languages that are spoken by a small population in the country. These languages include English and Malagasy. English is taught mostly in learning institutions, particularly in the upper grades. Malagasy, on the other hand, is spoken by a group of emigrants from Madagascar. There is also a small population of people from Réunion who speak a creole-based language.