Kim language

{{Short description|Mbum language spoken in Chad}}

{{For|the language of Sierra Leone|Kim language (Sierra Leone)}}

{{merge from|Kim people|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Kim

|nativename=

|states=Chad

|ethnicity=Kim

|speakers={{sigfig|15400|2}}

|date=1993 census

|ref=e18

|familycolor=Niger-Congo

|fam2=Atlantic–Congo

|fam3=Mbum–Day

|fam4=Kim languages

|dia1=Garap

|dia2=Gerep

|dia3=Kolop

|dia4=Kosop

|iso3=kia

|glotto=kimm1246

|glottorefname=Kim

}}

The Kim language of southern Chad is an Mbum language spoken by 15,000 people. It is one of the three members of the Kim languages group, together with Besme and Goundo.

The language was once mistakenly classified as Chadic, and called Masa, a Chadic name.

There is strong dialectical divergence; Blench considers Garap (Éré), Gerep (Djouman, Jumam), Kolop (Kilop, Kolobo), and Kosop (Kwasap, Kim) to be distinct languages.Roger Blench, 2004. [http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Niger-Congo/AU/Adamawa%20language%20list.pdf List of Adamawa languages] (ms)