naq

naq is the ISO 639-3 code for the Nama Khoikhoi language, commonly known as Khoekhoe or Khoekhoegowab. It is part of the Khoikhoe subgroup of the Khoisan language family and is spoken by the Nama and related communities in southern Africa.

Geographically, Nama Khoikhoi is concentrated in Namibia, with smaller speaker communities in parts of South Africa and Botswana. The language exists in several regional varieties, collectively referred to as Khoekhoegowab by speakers and linguists. It plays a central role in cultural identity for many Nama communities and is used in traditional and contemporary media, education, and everyday communication.

The writing system is Latin-based and augmented with special characters to represent click consonants. Orthography uses letters and diacritics such as ǃ, ǀ, and ǁ to indicate different click types, alongside more familiar Latin letters for vowels and consonants. Phonologically, Nama Khoikhoi features a rich inventory of click consonants in addition to more typical stops and fricatives, and it employs a five-vowel system with various vowel qualities.

In terms of status, Nama Khoikhoi is taught in some schools and appears in local media and cultural initiatives, though official language policy varies by country. Language maintenance efforts include documentation, teaching materials, and digital resources aimed at supporting transmission to younger generations.

See also: Khoisan languages; Khoekhoegowab; Nama language.