Rundi

language

Also known as: Kirundi

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Last updated

July 13, 2026

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The Rundi are a people primarily from Burundi who speak the Rundi language, also known as Kirundi. This language is part of the Interlacustrine Bantu languages. The Rundi people are broadly divided into two main ethnic groups: the Hutu, traditionally farmers, and the Tutsi, traditionally cattle herders. A smaller group, the Twa, are hunters and potters.12

Regional variations of the Rundi language exist among the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa, but they are mutually intelligible. The Rwanda language (Kinyarwanda), spoken in Rwanda, is also understandable to Rundi speakers. Approximately 6 million people speak Rundi, with many also residing in Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda as refugee populations.13

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Rundi
Regional variations of the Rundi language (also called Kirundi) include Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa, although all are mutually intelligible. Rwanda (also Kinyarwanda), which is spoken in Rwanda, is also understandable to speakers of Rundi. Hundreds of thousands of speakers of Rundi reside in Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda, mostly as refugee…
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Regional variations of the Rundi language (also called Kirundi) include Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa, although all are mutually intelligible. Rwanda (also Kinyarwanda), which is spoken in Rwanda, is also understandable to speakers of Rundi. Hundreds of thousands of speakers of Rundi reside in Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda, mostly as refugee…
Read More

Burundi
Languages of Burundi
Burundi’s official languages are Rundi (Kirundi), a Bantu language that is the standard medium of communication throughout the country, and French. Swahili, the language of trade, is widely spoken in Bujumbura, as is French. It is notable that Rundi is spoken by both the Hutu and Tutsi, who together…
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Burundi’s official languages are Rundi (Kirundi), a Bantu language that is the standard medium of communication throughout the country, and French. Swahili, the language of trade, is widely spoken in Bujumbura, as is French. It is notable that Rundi is spoken by both the Hutu and Tutsi, who together…
Read More