This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Oromo language" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR(July 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Cushitic language of Ethiopia and Kenya
Oromo
Afaan Oromoo
"Afaan Oromoo" in the Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo script invented by Bakri Sapalo
Pronunciation
/ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/
Native to
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia[1]
Region
Oromia
Ethnicity
Oromo
Native speakers
45.5 million (all countries) (2022)[2] 41.7 million in Ethiopia (2022),[3] 627,000 in Kenya (2019),[3] 110,000 in Sudan (2022),[4] 100,000 in Somalia (2024)[3]
Language family
Afro-Asiatic
Cushitic
Lowland East
Oromoid
Oromo
Writing system
Latin (Qubee, Oromo alphabet) Qubee Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo
Official status
Official language in
Ethiopia[5]
Recognised minority language in
Kenya
Language codes
ISO 639-1
om
ISO 639-2
orm
ISO 639-3
orm – inclusive code Individual codes: gax – Borana–Arsi–Guji Oromo hae – Eastern Oromo orc – Orma gaz – West Central Oromo ssn – Waata
Glottolog
nucl1736
Areas in East Africa where Oromo is spoken
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
Oromo (/ˈɒrəmoʊ/[6] or /ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/;[7][8] Oromo: Afaan Oromoo), historically also called Galla[9] (a name regarded as pejorative by the Oromo),[10] is an Afroasiatic language that belongs to the Cushitic branch. It is native to the Ethiopian state of Oromia and Northern Kenya and is spoken predominantly by the Oromo people and neighboring ethnic groups in the Horn of Africa. It is used as a lingua franca particularly in the Oromia Region and northeastern Kenya.[11][12][13]
With more than 36 million speakers[14] making up 33.8% of the total Ethiopian population,[15] Oromo has the largest number of native speakers in Ethiopia, and ranks as the second most widely spoken language in Ethiopia by total number of speakers (including second-language speakers) following Amharic.[16] Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by an additional half-million people in parts of northern and eastern Kenya.[17] It is also spoken by smaller numbers of emigrants in other African countries such as South Africa, Libya, Egypt and Sudan. Oromo is the most widely spoken Cushitic language and among the five languages of Africa with the largest mother-tongue populations.[18]
Oromo serves as one of the official working languages of Ethiopia[5] and is also the working language of several of the states within the Ethiopian federal system including Oromia,[15] Harari and Dire Dawa regional states and of the Oromia Zone in the Amhara Region. It is a language of primary education in Oromia, Harari, Dire Dawa, Benishangul-Gumuz and Addis Ababa and of the Oromia Zone in the Amhara Region. It is used as an internet language for federal websites along with Tigrinya.[19][20] Under Haile Selassie's regime, Oromo was banned in education, in conversation, and in administrative matters.[21][22][23]
^Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2024). "Oromo". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Twenty Seventh ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
^Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2024). "Oromo". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
^ abcEberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2024). "Borana–Arsi–Guji Oromo". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Twenty Seventh ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
^Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2024). "West Central Oromo". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Twenty Seventh ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
^ abShaban, Abdurahman (2020-03-04). "One to Five: Ethiopia Gets Four New Federal Working Languages". Africa News. Archived from the original on 2020-12-15. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
^Bauer, Laurie (2007). The Linguistics Student's Handbook. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-2759-2.
^"Oromo". Dictionary Reference.
^"Oromo". TheFreeDictionary.com.
^Hodson, Arnold W.; Walker, Craven H. (July 1924). "Grammar of the Galla or Oromo Language". African Affairs (Review). XXIII (XCII): 328–329. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a100016.
^Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D. "Oromo, West-Central [gaz]". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twenty-fifth edition. Dallas: SIL International. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
^Bulcha, Merkuria (1997). "The Politics of Linguistic Homogenization in Ethiopia and the Conflict over the Status of Afaan Oromoo". African Affairs. 96 (384): 325–352. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a007852. JSTOR 723182.
^"Oromo (Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Oromoo)". Language Centre Resources. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
^"Oromo Language". MustGo. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
^"Ethiopia". Ethnologue. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
^ ab"Ethiopia". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 6 June 2022.
^"Amharic". Ethnologue.
^"Oromo". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 2016-08-25. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
^"Children's Books Breathe New Life Into Oromo Language". BBC. 16 February 2016.
^"mcit.gov.et". mcit.gov.et. Archived from the original on 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
^"ቤት | FMOH". moh.gov.et. Archived from the original on 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
^Davey, Melissa (2016-02-13). "Oromo Children's Books Keep Once-Banned Ethiopian Language Alive". The Guardian. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
^"Oromo" (PDF) (Brochure). National African Language Resource Center (NALRC).
^"Ethiopians: Amhara and Oromo". International Institute of Minnesota.
Oromo (/ˈɒrəmoʊ/ or /ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/; Oromo: Afaan Oromoo), historically also called Galla (a name regarded as pejorative by the Oromo), is an Afroasiatic...
Kenya. They speak the Oromolanguage (also called Afaan Oromoo), which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are one...
Oromo is one of the many Oromolanguages spoken amongst Ethiopians and Kenyans. Boraana Oromo (Southern Oromo) derives from the Afrosiatic language family...
Eastern Oromo is a form of Oromolanguage spoken in the East Hararghe Zone, West Hararghe Zone and northern Bale Zone of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia...
The Oromo conflict is a protracted conflict between the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Ethiopian government. The Oromo Liberation Front formed to...
Oromo may refer to: Oromo people, an ethnic group of Ethiopia and Kenya Oromolanguage, an Afroasiatic language All pages with titles containing Oromo...
country speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches. The former includes the Oromolanguage, spoken by the Oromo, and Somali, spoken by...
The Oromo Liberation Front (Oromo: Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo, abbreviated: ABO; English abbreviation: OLF) is an Oromo nationalist political party formed...
The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA; Oromo: Waraana Bilisummaa Oromoo, WBO) is an armed opposition group active in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. The OLA consist...
Oromia (Oromo: Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of Ethiopian Constitution, the capital...
The Oromo Democratic Party (Oromo: Paartii Demokraatawaa Oromoo, ODP), formerly called the Oromo People's Democratic Organization, was a political party...
This is a list of notable Oromo people. Ali Birra – Artist Baalu Girma – Artist Bakri Sapalo – Historian and Artist Boonaa Mohammed – Poetry Elias Melka...
specifically Marsabit County. They speak a distinct dialect of the Oromolanguage by the same name, Boorana. The Boorana people are notable for practicing...
Zay (Oromo: Lak'i, Laqi) is an Afroasiatic language of the Semitic branch spoken in Ethiopia. It is one of the Gurage languages in the Ethiopian Semitic...
Hachalu Hundessa (Oromo: Haacaaluu Hundeessaa Boonsaa; Amharic: ሃጫሉ ሁንዴሳ; 1986 – 29 June 2020) was an Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist...
broadcast in Amharic, official languages of Ethiopia. Some news segments are broadcast in other languages, such as Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya, Afar, and English...
Cushitic languages, including the Oromolanguage and Somali language. Waaqa (Oromo pronunciation: [waːkʼa]) still means 'God' in the present Oromolanguage. Other...
country speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches. The former includes the Oromolanguage, spoken by the Oromo, and Somali, spoken by...
Adama (Oromo: Adaamaa or Hadaamaa, Amharic: አዳማ), formerly Nazreth (Amharic: ናዝሬት), is a capital city of Oromia Region of Ethiopia.[needs update?] Located...
the Oromo people in the Horn of Africa. The word Waaqeffanna is derived from Waaq which is the ancient name for the Creator in the Cushitic languages of...
April 1980) was an Oromo scholar, poet and religious teacher. He is best known as the inventor of a writing system for the Oromolanguage. Bakri Sapalo was...
Addis Ababa (/ˌædɪs ˈæbəbə/; Oromo: Finfinnee, lit. 'fountain of hot mineral water', Amharic: አዲስ አበባ, lit. 'new flower' [adˈdis ˈabəba] ) is the capital...
May 25, 2013) was an Oromo scholar. He is known for developing Oromo phonology and translating the Qur'an into the Oromolanguage. Sheikh Mohammed Rashad...
as a child, where he learned to write the language. Birra, however, was raised speaking the Oromolanguage. He also enrolled in a local public school...
speakers were Oromo, Somali, Beja, Afar, Hadiyya, Kambaata, and Sidama. The Cushitic languages with the greatest number of total speakers are Oromo (37 million)...
Orma is a variety of the Oromolanguage spoken by the Orma people in Kenya. It is a dialect of Southern Oromo. Orma at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Hoskins...
raining cats and dogs in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. The English-language idiom "raining cats and dogs" or "raining dogs and cats" is used to describe...
meetira 2.25 dheeratu Nagawoo Jimaan walbaraa". BBC News Afaan Oromoo (in Oromo). Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. "Ten nejvyšší. Ivo z Rychtářova...
Global Information
Ethiopia[5]
Kenya