The most widely spoken member of the Akan dialect continuum in Ghana — particularly the Asante and Akuapem varieties.
Where it’s spoken
Twi is spoken by roughly 9 million native speakers and another 9 million who use it as a second language, primarily in the Ashanti, Eastern, and Brong-Ahafo regions of Ghana. Asante Twi (the dialect of the Ashanti Kingdom centred on Kumasi) is the prestige variety; Akuapem Twi was the first to be reduced to writing by missionaries and is the basis for much religious literature.
What it sounds like
Two phonemic tones, vowel harmony based on the +/-ATR feature, and a rich system of verb serialisation. Like Akan generally, Twi distinguishes inclusive and exclusive “we”.
How it’s written
The Latin alphabet using the same orthographic conventions as written Akan more broadly, including ɛ and ɔ. Twi is widely used in radio, television, and gospel music, and is taught throughout the Ghanaian school system.
Find more languages by letter
Twi starts with T and ends with I. Browse other languages along the same letter.
Languages that contain a letter from "Twi":