Mara language is spoken by Mara people. It belongs to the Kuki-Chin-Naga group of Tibeto-Burman stock of the great Sino-Tibetan family of languages. The speakers of the language are also known as Mara.

Mara people speak their language in their own dialects, altogether they form Mara language. Therefore, different dialects spoken by Mara people are commonly known as Mara language. Mara dialects are Tlosai, Hawthai, Ngiaphia(Ngephe)-Chapi, Vytu(Vawngtu/Zyphe) and Zyhno(Zawhnai).

However, Mara language has a written script shared by all Mara people in Tlosai dialect. Mara scripts are derived from Roman alphabets by Rev. Reginald Arthur Lorrain, an English pioneer missionary to Mara people, who arrived at Saikao, South Mizoram in 1907. Lorrain started teaching them how to read and write in the new Mara alphabets the following years. Today, Tlosai dialect has become the lingua-franca of Mara people. So, though Mara people may speak in their own dialects, however, they write in Tlosai dialect.

Mara language written in Tlosai dialect is taught in Primary schools (upto class IV) under Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC); it is one of the elective subjects at middle school level under Maraland Board of School Education (MBSE), MADC, Siaha, Mizoram state. Mara language is an official language of Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC).

According to Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition, Mara language code is mrh. Mara language is classified under the great Sino-Tibetan language family as follows:

Sino-Tibetan,
-Tibeto-Burman
- – Kuki-Chin-Naga
- – - Kuki-Chin
- – - – Southern
- – - – - Mara

Some other linguists classify the language the following way:

Sino-Tibetan,
-Tibeto-Burman
- – Kuki-Chin-Naga
- – - Kuki-Chin-Mizo*
- – - – Central
- – - – - Mara (India/Myanmar)

A good percentage of Mara people in India speak Mizo (Lusei/Duhlian) as their second language with English, while a good number of Mara people in Myanmar also speak the languages of their neighbours like Lai languages and others including Burmese as their second languages.

Mara Alphabets:

A, AW, Y, B, CH, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, NG, ô, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, Z

A – a as in Father
AW – aw as in Law
Y – no equivalent sound in English. Sounds like ei in yei. Eg. Ei chaly (Thank you)
B – b as in English alphabest b.
CH – ch as in Church.
D – D as in English D
F – F as in English F.
H – eichhi – H as in English h.
I – E as in English e.
K – K as in English Cat (British).
L – L as in English l.
M – m as in English m.
N – n as in English n.
NG – e-nga
Ô – o high-pitched
O – O low-pitched.
P – P as in English p.
R – R as in English r.
S – ei-si – as in English s.
T – ti as in English teeth (t)
U – u sound as in too, tooth, took.
V – v sound as in vim.
Z – Bristish English z (zed).

Mara Alphabet section will be expanded soon.

Learn Basic Mara : Some translation of Mara to English:

Na tlah ma? = How are you?
Ei tlah = I am fine.
Ei tlah no a cha = I am fine (more polite form).
Nama zaw? = And you?
Keima chhao, ei tlah no a cha = Me too, I am fine.

Pati na nie haw? = Have you eaten(taken) meal?
Ei nie haw = I had eaten (taken)…(meal is understood)
Nie mah na = I have not eaten.

Yes = u
No = u u

Correct = Ado
Incorrect = Adovei

Thank you – Ei chaly

Note: The above article is written by Rev. Peter BT, D.Min candidate.