Kiga (Orukiga / RuChiga)

Kiga is a Great Lakes Bantu language spoken by about 2.3 million people in the Western Region of Uganda, particularly in the districts of Kabale, Kanungu, Kibaale, Kisoro, Ntungamo and Rukungiri. It is closely related to Nkore (Nyankore), which is also spoken by many Kiga speakers. Some linguists classify Kiga and Nkore as dialects of a single language they call Nkore-Kiga.

Kiga is also known as Bachiga, Bahororo, Bakiga, Chiga, Ciga, Nkore, Nkore-Kiga, Oluchiga, Orukiga, Rukiga or Ruchiga. Dialects include: RuNyaifwe-Hororo, RuSigi, RuNyangyezi and RuHimba.

Kiga is taught in schools, and used in literature and newspapers, and on the radio. A standarized version of western dilaects, known as Runyakitara, is taught in universities and used online.

Kiga alphabet and pronunciation

Notes

Ch is also written C
G and K is palatalized before i
G and K are written Gy and Ky before vowels
The letters D and P are only used in names and loanwords.

Download an alphabet chart for Kiga (Excel)

Information about the Kiga alphabet supplied by Wolfram Siegel

Sample videos in Kiga

Information about Kiga | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Kiga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiga_language
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiga_(langue)
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/cgg

Bantu languages

Bangi, Basaa, Bemba, Bena, Benga, Bukusu, Bulu, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chuwabu, Comorian, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Ganda/Luganda, Gogo, Gusii, Gwere, Haya, Herero, Ikizu, Jita, Kamba, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Lambya, Lingala, Loma, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbunda, Mende, Mongo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Nande, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Punu, Ronga, Sena, Sengele, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Tanga, Tembo, Tonga, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Umbundu, Venda, Xhosa, Yao, Yasa, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 23.04.21

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