The Makhuwa or Makua languages are a branch of Bantu languages

Bantu languages

The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...

 spoken primarily in Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

.

Name

The name Makua (Macua), more accurately Makhuwa, is used on three levels. Some sources distinguish these with differences in spelling 'Makua' vs. 'Makhuwa', but they are not consistent.

1. The Makhuwa language itself, the national language of Mozambique
   Mozambique
   Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
   
   
2. Its closest relatives, which also go by the name Makhuwa; sometimes called 'core' or 'nuclear' Makua, but this is not consistent
3. Closely related languages which have their own names, such as Lomwe
   Lomwe language
   Lomwe is a mixed language spoken in southeastern Malawi.-Background:The Mozambique Lomwe are one of the four largest ethnic groups living in Malawi and have history of migration to the Mozambique–Malawi border zone. Many Lomwe moved into Malawi, where they mixed with the Nyanja, in the 1930s due to...
   
    (also known as Western Makua)

Classification

Makhuwa is assigned to Zone P of the Guthrie classification of Bantu languages. With the classification of the other Zone-P languages as Rufiji–Ruvuma

Rufiji–Ruvuma languages

The Rufiji–Ruvuma languages are a group of Bantu languages established by Gloria Waite and subsequent researchers: N10 , P10 , P20.The languages, or clusters, along with their Guthrie identifications are:...

, Makhuwa is essentially synonymous with Zone P. However, the zones are geographic rather than genealogical clades. The closest relatives of the Makhuwa branch are not clear, but some classifications place them with the Nyasa

Nyasa languages

The Nyasa languages are an apparently valid genealogical group of Bantu languages. With the reassignment of a couple Guthrie Zone N languages to other branches, Nyasa is essentially synonymous with Zone N. The languages and their Guthrie identifications are:...

 and Southern Bantu languages

Southern Bantu languages

The Southern Bantu languages are large group of Bantu languages, largely validated in Janson . They are nearly synonymous with Guthrie's Bantu zone S, apart from the exclusion of Shona and the inclusion of Makua...

.

Languages

• Core Makhuwa: Makhuwa proper, Makhuwa-Meetto
  Makhuwa-Meetto language
  Makhuwa-Meetto is a Bantu language spoken by about 800,000 people in northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania. It is a member of the Makua group ....
  
  , Makhuwa-Shirima
  Makhuwa-Shirima language
  The Makhuwa-Shirima language is a Bantu language spoken by half a million Makua people in Mozambique.Makhuwa-Shirima is closely related to Makhuwa and is part of the Makua languages.-External links:*...
  
  
• Koti
• Sakati
• Lomwe
  Lomwe language
  Lomwe is a mixed language spoken in southeastern Malawi.-Background:The Mozambique Lomwe are one of the four largest ethnic groups living in Malawi and have history of migration to the Mozambique–Malawi border zone. Many Lomwe moved into Malawi, where they mixed with the Nyanja, in the 1930s due to...
  
  
• Cuabo
  Chuwabu language
  Chuwabo, also known as Cuabo and Txuwabo, is a Bantu language spoken along the central coast of Mozambique.Maindo , though customarily considered a separate language, is close enough to be a dialect of Chuwabo....
  
  and Maindo
• Moniga