ScriptLookup

Zulu

isiZulu
zu 13M speakers

Zulu (isiZulu) is a Niger-Congo language with approximately 13M speakers speakers. It is written using the Latin script. Its BCP 47 language code is zu.

Zulu (isiZulu) is a Bantu language and the most widely spoken home language in South Africa. It is spoken by approximately 13 million native speakers, primarily in KwaZulu-Natal province. Zulu is one of 11 official languages of South Africa.

Zulu is notable for its system of click consonants, borrowed from Khoisan languages. It is an agglutinative language with a complex system of noun classes (genders) that affect agreement throughout the sentence. Zulu culture is closely associated with the Zulu Kingdom, which famously defeated British forces at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879.

Writing Systems Used for Zulu

Latin
Primary
Hello World
LTR Latn

Frequently Asked Questions

What alphabet or script does Zulu use?
Zulu is written using the Latin script (ISO 15924 code: Latn). Latin is written left-to-right.
What direction is Zulu written?
Zulu is written Left-to-right. Text runs from left to right, the same direction as most European languages.
How many people speak Zulu?
Zulu has approximately 13M speakers speakers worldwide. It is a member of the Niger-Congo language family.
What language family does Zulu belong to?
Zulu belongs to the Niger-Congo language family. It is written with the Latin script.
What is the language code for Zulu?
The BCP 47 language code for Zulu is "zu". This code is used in software, web standards (the HTML lang attribute), and internationalization contexts.

Language Facts

BCP 47 Code
zu
ISO 639-3
zul
Status
living
Speakers
13M speakers
Language Family
Niger-Congo
Scripts
1
Primary Script
Latin

Other Latin Languages

Acehnese Acoli Adangme Afar Afrikaans Aghem Akan Akoose Alabama Albanian Aleut Anii Ao Naga Aragonese Araona Arapaho Arawak Aromanian Arpitan Asturian

Data sourced from Unicode CLDR and ISO 639-3. Last updated April 20, 2026.