Skills on AI

Locale Xh 001

Download raw SKILL.md

Use when working with the Xhosa locale (`xh-001`) — its endonym isiXhosa, Latin script, left-to-right (LTR) direction, or spoken-population data. Reference data and translation guidance (register, grammar, idiom, typography) for this specific locale; see [[locale]] for general i18n/l10n concepts (BCP 47, plural rules, RTL) that apply across all locales.

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

Identifiers

  • BCP 47 tag: xh-001
  • ISO 639-1: xh
  • ISO 639-3: xho
  • Script: Latn (Latin)
  • Region: 001 (World)
  • Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

  • L1 (native): 8,200,000
  • L2 (additional): 11,800,000
  • L1+L2 (total): 20,000,000

Regional variants

This is the base/macro locale for Xhosa. Region-specific variants in this dataset:

Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: one, other (2 forms).

  • one — n = 1 (e.g. 1)
  • other — everything else (e.g. 0, 2~16, 100, 1000, …)

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Xhosa (isiXhosa) is a Nguni Bantu language of South Africa, closely related to Zulu but with its own spelling and vocabulary, and it has click consonants. It is written conjunctively. See Locale Xh Za and compare Locale Zu 001.

Translate ideas, not words.

  • Xhosa verbs carry subject, tense, object, and mood in a single word. Restructure English sentences; do not translate word for word.
  • Nouns belong to noun classes with concord on adjectives, verbs, possessives, and demonstratives. Do not copy Zulu classes or forms; check Xhosa.
  • Use established Xhosa terms (from PanSALB and the National Language Service) rather than raw English borrowings where one exists.
  • Re-express idioms and proverbs (izaci) by meaning.

Grammar and register.

  • Concord prefixes must match the noun class. Writing is conjunctive: do not split prefixes from stems.
  • Wena is "you" (singular) and nina is the plural. Use the plural for elders (Molo to one, Molweni to more than one). Titles (Tata, Mama, Mnumzana) show respect.

Orthography and typography.

  • Click consonants c, q, x and the combinations gc, nc, ngc, ch, qh, xh are letters; keep them. Tones are not written.
  • Dates 17 Oktobha 2026; currency rand (R).

Common pitfalls

  • Using Zulu spellings or forms.
  • Splitting conjunctive words.
  • Wrong noun-class concords.

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.
  • Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), the statutory body for the official languages of South Africa
  • Xhosa dictionaries and National Language Service terminology lists

View locale-xh-001/SKILL.md on GitHub