Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 3, 2026

Bole language

Bole is a West Chadic language spoken in Nigeria. Dialects include Bara and Fika, spoken in the Fika Emirate. It is spoken by around 250,000 people. Bole is written with the Latin alphabet. Bole has two tones, a high tone marked with an acute accent and a low tone marked with a grave accent.

Last revised
Jun 3, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
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318 w
Citations
7
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Bole
bòo pìkkà
Native toNigeria
RegionBauchi State, Gombe State, Yobe State, Plateau State
Native speakers
250,000 (2023)1
Dialects
  • Bara
  • Fika
Language codes
ISO 639-3bol
Glottolognucl1695
Pìkkà2
PeopleAm Pìkkà
LanguageBòò Pìkkà

Bole (bòo pìkkà,3 also known as Bolanchi, Ampikka, Bopikka, Bolewa, Bolawa) is a West Chadic language spoken in Nigeria. Dialects include Bara and Fika, spoken in the Fika Emirate.1 It is spoken by around 250,000 people4. Bole is written with the Latin alphabet. Bole has two tones, a high tone marked with an acute accent and a low tone marked with a grave accent. 5

Writing System

Bole alphabet6
A B Ɓ C D Ɗ E G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y ʼY Z
a b ɓ c d ɗ e g h i j k l m n o p r s t u v w y ʼy z
Notes

Notes

  1. Bole at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
  2. Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  3. Schuh, Russell G. (October 1996). "Dymitr Ibriszimow and Alhaji Maina Gimba (ed.): Bole language and documentation Unit (BOLDU), Report I. (Westafrikanische Studien. Frankfurter Beiträge zur Sprachund Kulturgeschichte, Bd. 7.) 137 pp. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, 1994. DM 32". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 59 (3): 620–621. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00031323. ISSN 1474-0699.
  4. "Ethnic Groups In Nigeria – The Bole People". Connectnigeria Articles. 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  5. "Bole language". www.omniglot.com. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  6. Maina Gimba, Alhaji; Baba Ali, Malam; Bah, Madu (2009). Schuh, Russell G. (ed.). Bole-English-Hausa Dictionary and English-Bole Wordlist. Potiskum: Ajami Press. hdl:11858/00-001M-0000-0012-7677-1, p. iv.
Further reading

Further reading