rw

rw is a two-letter sequence that appears as an abbreviation or code across different domains. Its meaning varies with context, spanning language identifiers, country codes, and computing conventions.

Language and locale: In international standards, rw is the ISO 639-1 code for Kinyarwanda, a Bantu language spoken primarily in Rwanda. This code is used in language tags and locale identifiers, such as rw_RW, to denote the language as it is used in Rwanda.

Geography and country codes: rw is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for Rwanda. It is used in various international identifiers and, on the internet, the country’s top-level domain is .rw. The code appears in settings ranging from vehicle registrations to statistical reporting.

Computing: In computing, rw stands for read-write. It is commonly seen in file permission strings (for example, -rw-r--r-- indicates read and write permission for the owner) and in mount options to specify that a filesystem is mounted with read and write access. The concept is contrasted with the read-only mode, often denoted ro.

Other uses: As an acronym, rw can appear in specialized or organization-specific shorthand, and in certain datasets or software contexts may have additional meanings. Because these uses are not standardized, they depend on specific systems or conventions in a given field.

In summary, rw functions as a versatile code in language, geography, and computing, with its precise meaning determined by the surrounding context.