| Oromo | |
|---|---|
| Afaan Oromoo | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɒrəmoʊ/ or /ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/, native: oromoː |
| Native to | Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia |
| Region | Oromia |
| Ethnicity | Oromo |
Native speakers | 45.5 million (all countries) (2019–2024) |
| Dialects | |
| |
| Official status | |
Official language in | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | om |
| ISO 639-2 | orm |
| ISO 639-3 | orm – inclusive codeIndividual codes: gax – Borana–Arsi–Guji Oromohae – Eastern Oromoorc – Ormagaz – West Central Oromossn – Waata |
| Glottolog | nucl1736 |
Areas in East Africa where Oromo is spoken | |
Oromo is an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic branch, mainly spoken by the Oromo people that are native to the Ethiopian state of Oromia and northern Kenya. It is used as a lingua franca in Oromia and northeastern Kenya. It is officially written in the Latin script, although traditional scripts are also informally used.
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.