Shona
chiShona
sn
15M speakers
Shona
(chiShona)
is a Niger-Congo language
with approximately 15M speakers speakers.
It is written using the
Latin
script.
Its BCP 47 language code is sn.
Writing Systems Used for Shona
Frequently Asked Questions
What alphabet or script does Shona use?
Shona is written using the Latin script (ISO 15924 code: Latn). Latin is written left-to-right.
What direction is Shona written?
Shona is written Left-to-right. Text runs from left to right, the same direction as most European languages.
How many people speak Shona?
Shona has approximately 15M speakers speakers worldwide. It is a member of the Niger-Congo language family.
What language family does Shona belong to?
Shona belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. It is written with the Latin script.
What is the language code for Shona?
The BCP 47 language code for Shona is "sn". This code is used in software, web standards (the HTML lang attribute), and internationalization contexts.
Language Facts
- BCP 47 Code
- sn
- ISO 639-3
- sna
- Status
- living
- Speakers
- 15M speakers
- Language Family
- Niger-Congo
- Scripts
- 1
- Primary Script
- Latin
Data sourced from Unicode CLDR and ISO 639-3. Last updated April 20, 2026.