Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 5, 2026

Ha language

Ha, also known with the Bantu language prefix as Giha, Igiha, or Kiha, is a Bantu language spoken by the Ha people of the Kigoma Region of Tanzania, spoken on the eastern side of Lake Tanganyika up to the headwaters of the Mikonga. It is closely related to the languages of Rwanda and Burundi; neighboring dialects are reported to be mutually intelligible with Kirundi.

Last revised
Jun 5, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
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Citations
5
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Ha
Igiha
Native toTanzania
EthnicityAbaha
Native speakers
(990,000 cited 2001)1
Latin (proposed)2
Language codes
ISO 639-3haq
Glottologhaaa1252
JD.663
PeopleAbaha
LanguageIgiha
CountryBuha

Ha, also known with the Bantu language prefix as Giha, Igiha, or Kiha, is a Bantu language spoken by the Ha people of the Kigoma Region of Tanzania, spoken on the eastern side of Lake Tanganyika up to the headwaters of the Mikonga. It is closely related to the languages of Rwanda and Burundi; neighboring dialects are reported to be mutually intelligible with Kirundi.4

Phonology

Consonants

Bilabial Labio-
dental 		Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ
Plosive voiceless p t k
voiced b d ɟ ɡ
Affricate p͡f t͡s t͡ʃ
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ h
voiced (β) v z
Tap ɾ
Approximant (l) j w
  • /ɾ/ is heard as [l] among different dialects in free variation.
  • /b/ can be heard as either [b] or [β] in complementary distribution.2

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i iː u uː
Mid e eː o oː
Low a aː
Further reading

Further reading

References

References

  1. Ha at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Harjula, Lotta (2006). "Designing orthography for the Ha language". Studia Orientalia Electronica. 103. Helsinki: Finnish Oriental Soc.: 173–184.
  3. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  4. Shyirambere, Spiridion (1979). "Le français au Rwanda et au Burundi". In Valdman, Albert; Chaudenson, Robert; Manessy, Gabriel (eds.). Le Français hors de France. Paris: Editions Honoré Champion. pp. 473–492. The "zone of intercomprehension" is also reported to include KinyaRwanda, Hima and Luganda, and several other local languages.
External links