Glossary · Term

Kongo language

Also known as Kikongo

Kongo, or Kikongo, is a Bantu language spoken by the Kongo people in western Democratic Republic of the Congo, northern Angola and the Republic of the Congo. It was the language of the Kingdom of Kongo and its coastal neighbours Loango, Kakongo and Ngoyo. A Catholic catechism printed in 1624 is among the earliest books in any Bantu language, and the trade language Kituba developed from it.

Kongo language — Image: No machine-readable author provided. Rasulo~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Kingdom of Vungu Kingdom of Kakongo Kingdom of Ngoyo

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kongo language. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kongo-language
MLA: “Kongo language.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kongo-language. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Kongo language.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kongo-language.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kongo language’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kongo-language (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻