Mijikenda language

{{Short description|Bantu language spoken in Kenya and Tanzania}}

{{Distinguish|Nyika language|old Degere language}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Mijikenda

| states = Kenya, Tanzania

| ethnicity = Mijikenda, Chonyi, Digo, Giryama, Jibana, Duruma, Kambe, Kauma, Ribe, Rabai

| region = Mombasa and Kwale districts in Kenya; Muheza and Tanga districts in Tanzania

| speakers = {{sigfig|2.624200|2}} million

| date = 2019 census

| ref = e26

| familycolor = Niger-Congo

| fam2 = Atlantic–Congo

| fam3 = Volta-Congo

| fam4 = Benue–Congo

| fam5 = Bantoid

| fam6 = Southern Bantoid

| fam7 = Bantu

| fam8 = Northeast Bantu

| fam9 = Northeast Coast Bantu

| fam10 = Sabaki

| lc1 = coh

| ld1 = Chonyi

| lc2 = dig

| ld2 = Digo

| lc3 = dug

| ld3 = Duruma

| lc4 = nyf

| ld4 = Giryama

| lc5 = seg

| ld5 = Segeju

| guthrie = E.72,73,731,732

| glotto = miji1238

| glottorefname = Mijikenda

| ELP = 5071

| ELPname = Segeju

}}

Mijikenda is a Bantu dialect cluster spoken along the coast of East Africa, mostly in Kenya, where there are 2.6 million speakers (2019 census) but also in Tanzania, where there are 166,000 speakers. The name Mijikenda means "the nine settlements" or "the nine communities" and refers to the multiple language communities that make up the group.{{Cite book|title=Language and Dialect Atlas of Kenya vol 1|last=Heine|first=Bernd|last2=Möhlig|first2=Wilhelm J.G.|publisher=Dietrich Reimer Verlag|year=1980|isbn=3-496-00144-5|location=Berlin|pages=17–22}} An older, derogatory term for the group is Nyika which refers to the "dry and bushy country" along the coast.