Tamaceq

Tamasheq

Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Tuareg)

FamilyAfro-Asiatic (Berber, Tuareg) Speakers~1.2M ScriptTifinagh (traditional Tuareg-style); Latin and Arabic also used CountriesMali, Niger, Algeria, Libya, Burkina Faso Official inMali (national); Niger (national) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3tmh

Also known as: Tamasheq, Tuareg, Touareg

Tamasheq / Tuareg (Tamacheq, ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵛⴰⵇ) is the Berber language cluster of the Tuareg people of the Sahara — Mali, Niger, Algeria, Libya, Burkina Faso — with ~1.2M speakers. Several macro-varieties exist (Tamasheq in Mali, Tamajaq in Niger, Tamahaq in Algeria-Libya, Tawellemmet, Tayert). The Tuareg are unique among Berbers for actively maintaining the historical Tifinagh script — a consonantal abjad descended from ancient Libyco-Berber inscriptions — passed on traditionally by women in matrilineal Tuareg society. Famous for the iconic indigo-veiled Kel Tagelmoust ('men of the veil'), nomadic camel-pastoralism across the Sahara, and post-2012 Tuareg-led Azawad independence movements in northern Mali.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Tamasheq

Water

ⴰⵎⴰⵏ

aman

Fire

ⵜⵎⵙⵉ

təmsi

Sun

ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽ

tafuk

Moon

ⴰⵢⵓⵔ

ajor

Star

ⴰⵜⵔⵉ

atri

Night

—

—

Rain

ⴰⴽⵙⴰ

akəsa

Wind

ⴰⴹⵓ

aðˤu

Earth

ⴰⴽⴰⵍ

akal

Stone

ⵜⵀⵓⵏⵜ

təhunt

Mountain

ⴰⴹⴰⵖ

adˤaɣ

Mother

ⴰⵏⵏⴰ

anːa

Father

ⴰⴱⴱⴰ

abba

Daughter

ⴻⵍⵍⴻ

elːe

I

ⵏⴽⴽ

nækː

You

ⴽⵢ

kæj

We

ⵏⴽⴽⵏⵖ

nækːænæɣ

Name

ⴻⵙⵎ

esæm

Person

ⵡⴰⴷⵎ

əwadəm

Head

ⴻⵖⴼ

eɣəf

Eye

ⵜⵉⵟⵟ

titˤː

Ear

ⵜⴰⵎⵥⵥⵓⴽⴽ

taməzˤːukː

Nose

ⵜⵉⵏⵛⴰⵔ

tinʃar

Mouth

ⴻⵎⵎ

emː

Tooth

ⵜⵉⵖⵎⴰⵙ

tiɣmas

Tongue

ⵉⵍⵙ

iləs

Hand

ⴰⴼⵓⵙ

afus

Foot

ⴰⴹⴰⵔ

adˤar

Heart

ⵓⵍ

ul

Bone

ⵉⵖⵙ

eɣas

Blood

ⴰⵀⵏⵉ

ahni

Poop

ⴻⴹⴻⵔ

edˤer

Love

ⵜⴰⵔⴰ

tara

Tree

ⴰⵛⴽ

aʃək

Dog

ⴰⵢⴷⵉ

ajdi

Cat

ⴰⵎⵓⵛ

amuʃ

Fish

ⴰⵙⵍⵎ

asləm

Bird

ⴻⴳⴹⴻⴹ

eɡədˤedˤ

Butterfly

ⴰⵍⴼⴰⵇⵇⵉ

alfaqːi

Egg

ⵜⴻⴽⴽⵉⵜ

tekəkit

Horse

ⴻⴱⵊⴻ

ebəʒe

House

ⴻⵀⵏ

ehən

Milk

ⴰⵅⵅ

axː

Honey

ⵜⵓⵔⴰⵡⵜ

torawət

Salt

ⵜⵉⵙⵎⵜ

tesəmt

Iron

ⵜⵥⵓⵍⵉ

təzˤoli

Silk

ⵍⵅⵔⴻⵔⵏ

ələxərerən

Book

ⵍⴽⵜⵜⴰⴱ

əlkəttab

Eat

ⴽⵛ

əkʃ

Drink

ⵙⵓ

əsu

Sleep

ⴻⴹⵙ

edˤəs

One

ⵉⵢⵏ

ijən

Two

ⵛⵛⵉⵏ

əʃːin

Three

ⴽⵕⴰⴹ

kaɾadˤ

Four

ⵓⴽⴽⵓⵥ

okːozˤ

Five

ⵙⵎⵎⵓⵙ

səmmus

Hundred

ⵜⴻⵎⴻⴹⴻ

temedˤe

Hello

ⵎⴰ ⵜⵍⵍⴰ

ma təlːa

Thank you

ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ

tanəmːiɾt

Good

ⵉⵀⵓⵙⵙⵏ

ihosːən

New

ⵢⵏⴰⵢⵏ

əynayən

Red

ⴰⵣⴰⴳⴳⴰⵖ

azaɡːaɣ

White

ⴰⵎⵍⵍⴰⵍ

amelːal

Black

ⴽⵡⵍⵏ

kəwələn

Sugar

ⴻⵙⵙⵓⴽⴻⵔ

essuker

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Afro-Asiatic (Berber, Tuareg)

Meaning TamasheqStandard Moroccan TamazightCentral Atlas TamazightTashelhitShawiyaKabyleTarifit
Water ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/ aman /aman/ aman /aman/ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ /aman/
Fire ⵜⵎⵙⵉ /təmsi/ ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵙⵉ /timsːi/ ⵜⵉⵎⵙ /times/ ⵜⵉⵎⵙⵉ /timsi/ times /times/ times /timəs/ ⵜⵎⵙⵙⵉ /θmesːi/
Sun ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽ /tafuk/ ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ ⵜⴰⴼⵓⴽⵜ /tafukt/ ittij /itːiʒ/ iṭij /itˤiʒ/ ⵜⴼⵓⵛⵜ /θfuʃt/
Moon ⴰⵢⵓⵔ /ajor/ ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːur/ ⴰⵢⵓⵔ /ajur/ ⴰⵢⵢⵓⵔ /ajːuɾ/ ayur /ajuɾ/ aggur /aɡːuɾ/ ⵢⵓⵔ /jur/
Star ⴰⵜⵔⵉ /atri/ ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /itri/ itri /itri/ itri /itri/ ⵉⵜⵔⵉ /iθri/
Night — /—/ ⵉⴹ /idˤ/ ⵉⴹ /idˤ/ ⵉⴹ /idˤ/ iḍ /iðˤ/ iḍ /iðˤ/ ⵉⴹ /iðˤ/
Rain ⴰⴽⵙⴰ /akəsa/ ⴰⵏⵥⴰⵔ /anzˤar/ ⴰⵏⵣⴰⵔ /anzar/ ⴰⵏⵣⴰⵔ /anzar/ anẓar /anzˤar/ ageffur /aɡefːur/ ⴰⵏⵥⴰⵔ /anzˤar/
Wind ⴰⴹⵓ /aðˤu/ ⴰⴹⵓ /adˤu/ ⴰⴹⵓ /adˤu/ ⴰⴹⵓ /adˤu/ aḍu /adˤu/ aḍu /adˤu/ ⴰⴹⵓ /aðˤu/
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