A Semitic language and the working language of Ethiopia — written in the ancient Geʽez script and spoken as a first or second language by tens of millions.
Where it’s spoken
Amharic is the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, used in government, media, and education across the country. It is the lingua franca of Ethiopia’s many ethnic groups and the most widely spoken Semitic language after Arabic. Major diaspora communities live in the United States, Israel, and Sweden.
What it sounds like
Amharic preserves the Semitic ejective consonants (p’, t’, tʃ’, k’, s’) and a robust set of pharyngeals, though some have weakened over time. Its grammar features verbal templates built on triconsonantal roots — a hallmark of Semitic languages — and a system of compound verbs with auxiliaries.
How it’s written
Amharic uses the Geʽez script (Fidäl), an abugida where each character represents a consonant-vowel combination. The script descends from ancient South Arabian writing and is one of Africa’s oldest indigenous writing systems. The script has more than 200 syllograms.
History
Amharic rose as the language of the Ethiopian imperial court at Gondar from the 13th century, gradually displacing the older Geʽez as the everyday written language. Modern Amharic literature dates to the 19th century.
Find more languages by letter
Amharic starts with A and ends with C. Browse other languages along the same letter.
Languages that contain a letter from "Amharic":