gjuha

Gjuha is a noun in Albanian meaning both the tongue and a language. In anatomy, gjuha refers to the muscular organ inside the mouth that assists in tasting, speaking, and swallowing. In the context of communication, gjuha denotes a spoken or sign language used by a community.

The term is used with modifiers to express linguistic identity and proficiency. For example, gjuha shqipe refers to the Albanian language, while gjuha angleze refers to English. Common expressions include gjuha amtare, meaning the mother tongue, and të flasësh mirë gjuhën e një vendi, meaning to speak a country’s language well. In multilingual settings, phrases such as gjuhët e ndryshme mean different languages, and gjuhë e huaj denotes a foreign language.

Gjuha shqipe is widely used to refer to the Albanian language in its standard form and its dialects. The word occurs across domains—from everyday speech to education, media, and literature—and functions as a core term for discussions of language policy, literacy, and intercultural communication. In everyday use, context typically clarifies whether the reference is to the physical tongue or to a language.

See also: Albanian language, Mother tongue, Language.