Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🌍 From Somalia 🧑🏿 A person from Somalia 🗣️ A language
Somali

Somali

1 5.8
A language spoken in Somalia and nearby countries
  • noun
  • /səˈmɑːli/
translation icon : somalí
  • Many books and resources are available for learning Somali as a second language.
  • speaks Somali

Examples

  • "Most of the discussions were in Somali with an interpreter," Smith says.

    Academic text (2011)

  • What, even if you use a Somali?

    Eye in the Sky (2015)

  • She learned to speak Somali fluently during her time in Somalia.

  • The teacher spoke in Somali, helping the students understand the lesson better.

Synonyms

Somali language
vsSomali
5.6

A language spoken by Somali people in Somalia and nearby countries

is the shorter name form used instead of the longer phrase

Compounds

Somali language
5.6

A language spoken by Somali people in Somalia and nearby countries

Somali peninsula
4.6

A large peninsula in northeast Africa called the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and parts of Ethiopia

Surface Forms

Somali singular
Somalis plural

Etymology

Somali for the language comes from the name of the people, Soomaali, so the Somali language is simply the speech of the Somali people. That is why calling a language Somali means it belongs to the Somali community and culture.