Kasem (Kasena)

Kasem is member of the Gur branch of Niger-Congo language family spoken in the Upper West and Upper East Regions in northern Ghana, and in Nahouri province in southern Burkina Faso. In 1998 there were about 250,000 speakers of Kasem - 130,000 in Ghana and 120,000 in Burkina Faso. The language is also known as Kasena, Kasim, Kassem, Kasɩm or Kassena.

There are two main dialects: East Kasem and West Kasem, which are mutually intelligible. Kasem is recognised as a national language in Ghana.

Kasem alphabets and pronunciation

There are slightly different ways of writing Kasem in Burkina Faso and Ghana.

Kasem alphabet and pronunciation


Download an alphabet chart for Kasem (Excel)

Sample text in Kasem

Ba loge nɔɔna maama se ba taa ye bedwe mo ba ŋwea de ba chega seini, ye fefeo teira kɔtaa. Wɛ pɛ ba swa de boboŋa mo se ba taa ye nubiu daane ye ba jege da ŋwaŋa.


(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Sample video in Kasem


Information about the Kasem language

Gur languages

Dagaare, Dagbani, Kabiye, Kasem, Mossi, Tammari, Tem, Waama

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 23.04.21

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