Nheengatu language

Nheengatu, also known as Modern Tupi and Amazonic Tupi, is a Tupi–Guarani language. It is spoken throughout the Rio Negro region among the Baniwa, Baré, and Warekena people in the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, and the state of Amazonas, Brazil.

It is one of Amazonas's official languages since 2002 along with Apurinã, Baniwa, Dessana, Kanamari, Marúbo, Matis, Matsés, Mawé, Mura, Tariana, Tikuna, Tukano, Waiwai, Waimiri, Yanomami, and Portuguese languages. Outside of the Rio Negro region, the Nheengatu language is spoken across the Baixo Amazonas region (in the state of Amazonas) among the Sateré-Mawé, Maraguá, and Mura people. In the Baixo Tapajós and the state of Pará, Nheengatu is spoken by the people of the region, such as the Borari and the Tupinambá, and among the riverside dwellers.

A 2005 study cited by Ethnologue estimated the number of Nheengatu speakers at around 19,600, though this figure is subject to debate. In 2025, Thomas Finbow, professor at the University of São Paulo (USP), estimated that there were between 5,000 and 7,000 speakers in Brazil, and fewer than 10,000 globally, including communities in Venezuela and Colombia. Nheengatu is a useful subject to study language change due to its long history of documentation spanning several centuries. Due to its role as a former lingua franca, Nheengatu is a significant minority language in Brazil.