Locale Rw Rw

Reference data for the Kinyarwanda (Rwanda) locale — endonym Ikinyarwanda (Rwanda), written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: rw-RW
• ISO 639-1: rw
• ISO 639-3: kin
• Script: Latn (Latin)
• Region: RW (Rwanda)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 15,000,000
• L2 (additional): 3,000,000
• L1+L2 (total): 18,000,000

Base locale

This is a regional variant of Locale Rw 001 (Kinyarwanda), the base/macro locale for this language.

Pluralization

CLDR has no explicit plural rule defined for this language; it falls back to the root rule of a single other category (1 form) — every count uses the same word form, as in Japanese or Chinese.

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Apply Locale Rw 001 with the conventions of Rwanda.

• Context: Kinyarwanda is the national language and is spoken by nearly all Rwandans; English, French, and Swahili are also official. Public bodies publish in Kinyarwanda and English.
• Formats: Rwandan franc (Frw); dates 17 Ukwakira 2026; 24-hour clock; decimal comma in some publications; check CLDR.
• Tone: respectful and community-oriented; avoid divisive or ethnic terms in public content.

Common pitfalls

• Using French spellings for Kinyarwanda words.
• Using ethnic terminology carelessly.
• The general pitfalls in Locale Rw 001 also apply.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• Unicode CLDR locale data for number, date, and currency formats (https://cldr.unicode.org)