Shona, a major Bantu language of the Niger-Congo family, is spoken by approximately 13 million people in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, where it is an official language. Written in the Latin alphabet, Shona features an extensive noun class system, tonal distinctions, and an SVO word order. With deep roots in oral storytelling, poetry, and music, Shona has been an essential medium for cultural expression and resistance. While urbanization and English influence have shaped modern Shona, efforts in education, literature, and media continue to promote its use and development.
Stats
Language Family: Niger-Congo
Writing System: Latin
Writing System Type: Alphabet
Writing Direction: L to R
Tones / Pitch Accent: 2
Morphology: Agglutinative
Cases: None
Grammatical Gender / Noun Class: 25
Number of Verb Tenses: 3
Word Order: SVO
Number of Vowels (Monophthongs): 5
Number of Consonants: 42
Areas Where Spoken
Mozambique (6.6%) (1.07 mil)
Zimbabwe (official) (~80%) (12 mil)
Resources
Mass Resource List
News
kwayedza.co.zw: Weekly Shona Newspaper Online
Radio
Translator
Textbooks
Website
Live Lingua: FSI Shona Basic Course
crelearning.com: Phrasebook
learn101.com: Vocab, grammar, phrases
ilanguages.org: Vocab, phrases, grammar
mustgo.com: Structure, Grammar & Vocabulary
YouTube
Channels
Speak Shona: Lessons, culture, grammar, vocab
Shonaland: Vocab, culture, grammar
Ndawana and Friends: Kids show to learn Shona
Learning Shona with Tulani: Lessons