It belongs with Makua in the group of distinctive Bantu languages in the northern part of the country: The Makhuwa-using area proper (Nampula, etc.)

To the south, the rather more distantly related Sena (ChiSena) should be assigned to a group with Nyanja and Chewa, while the distinct group which includes Yao, Makonde and Mwera is found to the north.

[citation needed] Unusual among Bantu languages is the infinitive of the verb with o- instead of the typically Bantu ku- prefix: omala (eMakhuwa) is "to finish", omeeela (also an eMakhuwa form) is "to share out".

[3] A mutually unintelligible form containing elements of Chewa, Malawian Lomwe, is spoken in Malawi.

[2] [3][4] Lomwe DictionaryThis Bantu language-related article is a stub.