Karai-karai
Karai-karai is a language spoken in northeastern Nigeria by about 1.5 to 2 million people, mainly the Karai-Karai ethnic group. It is used in Bauchi, Yobe, Gombe, and nearby areas.
The language is Afro-Asiatic, in the Chadic branch, West Chadic, Bole–Tangale group, and is closely related to Ngamo and Bole. It is also known as Karekare or Kerrikerri, and in the Ajami script it is written as كاراي-كاراي.
Today, Karai-karai is written with the Latin alphabet (the Karai-karai alphabet). Arabic script was used in the past. Standard Karai-karai developed in the 1950s when NORLA published the book Ndar Ma Karatu.
The official alphabet omits the letters q, v, and x. There are five long vowels (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) or sometimes written as aa, ee, ii, oo, uu, and there are diphthongs au and ai.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:55 (CET).