Kokborok, celebrated annually on Kokborok Day (19 January), is the native language of which community?

Kokborok Day is observed annually on 19 January to celebrate the language and culture of the Tripuri community.

2026 marks the 48th anniversary of Kokborok being recognized as an official language of Tripura.

Kokborok, also called Tripuri or Tiprakok, is the native language of the Tripuri people.

It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family and is spoken mainly in Tripura and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.

Kokborok is among the fastest-developing indigenous languages in Northeast India.

Speakers of Kokborok identify as Tripuris, and the language is central to their cultural identity.

Official recognition of Kokborok as a state language occurred in 1979, alongside Bengali and English.

Historically, Kokborok was widely spoken during the rule of the Tripuri kings in the ancient Kingdom of Tipra.

Kokborok Day symbolizes the struggle for tribal self-expression and protection of indigenous languages.

The language once used the Koloma script, which is now being revived; today, the Latin script is commonly used.

Initiatives like the “Kokborok tei Hukumu Mission” promote Kokborok literature, music, films, and education.

The language was earlier called Tipra, with the term Kokborok gaining popularity in the 20th century.

Major Kokborok-speaking clans include Debbarma, Reang, Jamatia, Tripura, Noatia, Rupini, Murasing, and Uchoi.

Radhamohan Thakur published the first Kokborok grammar book, Kokborokma, in 1900.