The Xhosa language (English /ˈkɔːsə/ or /ˈkoʊsə/; Xhosa: isiXhosa [isikǁʰɔ́ːsa]) is a Bantu language with click consonants ("Xhosa" begins with a click) and one of the official languages of South Africa. It is spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language; that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said with a rising or falling or high or low intonation.