Zulu is one of the most widely spoken languages in South Africa. It is a Bantu language within the Niger-Congo language family. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Zulu are Xhosa, Tsonga, Swahili, Bemba, and Shona.
- Xhosa (79.4)
Another Bantu language primarily spoken in South Africa is Xhosa. It is considered Zulu’s closest linguistic relative. The two languages share a significant portion of their vocabulary and grammar. Historical and cultural interactions between the Xhosa and Zulu people have further contributed to the similarities between their languages. - Tsonga (51.1)
Although Tsonga is not as closely related as Xhosa, it still shares several similarities with Zulu. Tsonga is spoken in parts of South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. The language has been influenced by neighboring languages, including Zulu. As a result, some common vocabulary and grammatical elements overlap. - Swahili (48.1)
Swahili is widely spoken in East Africa. Although it has diverged from Zulu and other Southern Bantu languages to a greater extent, it still shares core grammatical structures and some vocabulary, reflecting their common Bantu origins. One big difference is that Swahili has more Arabic influences. - Bemba (47.8)
Spoken primarily in Zambia, Bemba is another Bantu language on this list. It shares significant linguistic traits typical of the family, such as the use of prefixes and suffixes to modify meaning. The similarities in sentence structure and word formation may be evident to a Zulu speaker when learning or interacting with Bemba. - Shona (47.6)
Most Shona speakers are located in Zimbabwe. Zulu and Shona share grammatical structure, which includes noun classes and the use of affixes to indicate tense, mood, and aspect in verbs. Although Shona is geographically more distant from Zulu than Xhosa or Tsonga, the linguistic heritage they share makes them similar in various aspects.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)
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