Language code: `kr`

Technical information about ISO 639 language code kr

The table below provides technical details for the Kanuri language, designated by the kr code from the ISO 639-1 standard.

Code	`kr`
Name	Official Kanuri Native Kanuri
Family	Saharan
Text direction	Left-to-Right
Language varieties	Central (Yerwa/Beri-beri) KanuriManga KanuriBilma KanuriTumari (Tuwari) Kanuri
Related languages	KanembuTedaDazaZaghawa
Key facts	Belongs to the Saharan branch of the Nilo-Saharan language familyHistorically functioned as the trade lingua franca of the Bornu Empire and trans-Saharan routesWritten in both Latin-based Boko and an older Ajami (Arabic-derived) scriptUses vowel length and three register tones that are rarely marked in writingDisplays predominantly Subject-Object-Verb word order with extensive postpositions.
Sample phrase	Dala, nyín ká?
Character encodings	UTF-8, UTF-16, UTF-32
Supported in Localizely

Kanuri is part of the Nilo-Saharan language family, specifically within the Saharan branch. It is predominantly spoken by the Kanuri and Kanembu peoples in Nigeria, Niger, and Chad, with a smaller number of speakers in Cameroon. The language is written using both Latin and Arabic scripts. It is estimated to have more than 9.5 million speakers worldwide.