| Yaeyama language | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Japan |
| Region | Yaeyama Islands |
| Ethnicity | Ryukyuan (Yaeyama) |
Japonic
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | rys |
| ELP | Yaeyama |
The Yaeyama language is a Southern Ryukyuan language spoken in the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
The Yaeyama language is one of the six Ryukyuan languages, which are a group of languages spoken in the Ryūkyū Islands of Japan. The Ryukyuan languages, along with Japanese, form the Japonic language family.
The Japanese government does not consider Yaeyama to be its own language, labeling it as a Japanese dialect instead. Most linguists and UNESCO on the other hand do consider Yaeyama to be a language.