Gujarati
ગુજરાતી
Mahatma Gandhi spoke Gujarati! Gujarat has one of the world's most entrepreneurial diaspora communities — with major Gujarati communities from Leicester to Houston to Nairobi.
Lin says:
Kem cho! How are you? I'm Lin! Gujarati is one of the world's great entrepreneurial languages — Gujarati traders built business networks from East Africa to the UK to the USA centuries ago! Mahatma Gandhi spoke Gujarati as his mother tongue. Garba and Dandiya — the spectacular whirling circle dances — are Gujarati, and their Navratri festival is listed by UNESCO. Khub khama! (Well done!)
Quick Facts
Speakers
~55 million
Language Family
Indo-European (Indo-Aryan)
Diaspora
UK, USA, East Africa, Canada
Famous Speaker
Mahatma Gandhi
Discover Gujarati
Mahatma Gandhi spoke Gujarati! Gujarat has one of the world's most entrepreneurial diaspora communities — with major Gujarati communities from Leicester to Houston to Nairobi.
Writing System
Gujarati script
Native Speakers
~55 million
Key Countries
For Educators
Language learning builds empathy and global understanding. Use this page to spark classroom discussions about cultural diversity and communication across borders.
Did You Know?
There are over 700,000 Gujarati speakers in the UK — and the city of Leicester has such a large Gujarati community that it celebrates Diwali on a larger scale than anywhere outside India.
Gujarat is India's most industrialised state and one of the fastest growing economies in Asia — Reliance Industries, Adani Group, and Tata Group all have strong Gujarati roots.
Gujarati cuisine is famous for being predominantly vegetarian — reflecting the Jain and Hindu values of non-violence deeply woven into Gujarati culture.
What Makes Gujarati Special?
Language of Entrepreneurs
Gujarati merchants built global trade networks centuries before "globalisation" was a word — running businesses from Zanzibar to Singapore to Leicester, UK.
Gandhi's Language
Mahatma Gandhi — father of Indian independence and pioneer of non-violent resistance — spoke Gujarati as his mother tongue and wrote many of his key works in it.
Garba & Navratri
The Navratri Garba festival — nine nights of spectacular circular dancing in traditional costumes — originated in Gujarat and is now UNESCO-listed and celebrated globally.
Keep Exploring the World!
Languages are windows into the world's cultures. Discover more languages and the countries where they are spoken.