Mihaq
Kusunda
Language isolate
Kusunda (Mihaq) is a critically endangered language isolate of mid-western Nepal, traditionally spoken by the formerly nomadic Kusunda hunter-gatherer community of the Mahabharat foothills (Dang, Surkhet, Pyuthan, Tanahu districts). The last fully fluent L1 speaker, Gyani Maiya Sen, died in 2020 (her sister Kamala Khatri died 2024); ~3 partial speakers remain. Documented by Hodgson in 1857 and decisively as an isolate by David Watters (Notes on Kusunda Grammar, 2006). Tribhuvan University and the Language Commission of Nepal currently run revitalization classes in Dang for several Kusunda youth.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Kusunda
Water
tang
/tɑŋ/
Fire
yu
/ju/
Sun
nəm
/nəm/
Moon
pom
/pom/
Star
sam
/sam/
Mother
—
/—/
Father
yi
/ji/
I
tsi
/tsi/
You
nu
/nu/
Name
gidzi
/ɡidzi/
Eye
gam
/ɡam/
Hand
gisi
/ɡisi/
Heart
—
/—/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
cigi
/tsiɡi/
House
gepa
/ɡepa/
Dog
agəi
/aɡəi/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
təim
/təim/
Drink
—
/—/
One
nu
/nu/
Two
dukhu
/dukʰu/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
—
/—/
Sources
- Watters (2006) Notes on Kusunda Grammar
- Glottolog: kusu1250
- Ethnologue: kgg
Words compared
Compared with related Language isolate languages
| Meaning | Kusunda | Neko | Proto-Uralic | Proto-Sino-Tibetan | Pyu | Proto-Kra-Dai | Damin (Lardil ceremonial register) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | tang /tɑŋ/ | wai /wai/ | *wete /wete/ | — /—/ | ʔuy /uj/ | *naːm /naːm/ | — /—/ |
| Fire | yu /ju/ | titɛ /titɛ/ | — /—/ | *mey /mey/ | vyaŋ /wjaŋ/ | *vɤj /vɤj/ | l!ii /lǃiː/ |
| Sun | nəm /nəm/ | aatʌ /aːtʌ/ | — /—/ | *nəy /nəy/ | ño /ɲo/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Moon | pom /pom/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | *s-la /s-la/ | hla /hla/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Star | sam /sam/ | kumba /kumba/ | — /—/ | *s-kar /s-kar/ | kar /karʔ/ | — /—/ | l*i /ʎ͡ʘi/ |
| Mother | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | *ma /ma/ | na /na/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Father | yi /ji/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | *pa /pa/ | paʔ /paʔ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| I | tsi /tsi/ | na /na/ | *mun /mun/ | *ŋa /ŋa/ | ŋa /ŋa/ | *kuː /kuː/ | n!aa /ŋ͡ʘaː/ |
| You | nu /nu/ | ga /ɡa/ | *tun /tun/ | *naŋ /naŋ/ | naŋ /naŋ/ | — /—/ | n!uu /ŋ͡ʘuː/ |
| Name | gidzi /ɡidzi/ | iwi /iwi/ | *nimi /nimi/ | *r-miŋ /r-miŋ/ | miŋ /miŋ/ | *ɟɯː /ɟɯː/ | m!ii /m͡ʘiː/ |
| Eye | gam /ɡam/ | ta /ta/ | *śilmä /śilmä/ | *s-mik /s-mik/ | mik /mik/ | *taː /taː/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | gisi /ɡisi/ | — /—/ | *käti /käti/ | *lak /lak/ | lak /lak/ | *mɯː /mɯː/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | cigi /tsiɡi/ | tei /tei/ | *puwi /puwi/ | *siŋ /siŋ/ | siŋ /siŋ/ | *maːj /maːj/ | — /—/ |
| House | gepa /ɡepa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | vaiŋ /waiŋ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | agəi /aɡəi/ | gonʌ /ɡonʌ/ | — /—/ | *d-kʷəy /d-kʷəy/ | kwiy /kwij/ | *hmaː /hmaː/ | — /—/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | təim /təim/ | nei /nei/ | *sewe- /sewe-/ | *dzya /dzya/ | cyaʔ /tɕaʔ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | nu /nu/ | — /—/ | *ükte /ükte/ | *tik /tik/ | te /te/ | *nɯŋ /nɯŋ/ | — /—/ |
| Two | dukhu /dukʰu/ | iri /iri/ | *kakta /kakta/ | *g-nis /g-nis/ | nit /nit/ | *soːŋ /soːŋ/ | r!ii /ɽ͡ʘiː/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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