v3.0.0 is stable

The first Somali programming language

Write programs with Somali keywords. Soplang is free and open source, built for students, teachers, and developers who think in Somali. Soplang 3 runs programs with Cranelift JIT and builds standalone executables with LLVM.

Install Soplang Write your first program

231 stars on GitHub · 17 contributors · MIT license

salaan.sop

// Salaan, Adduunka!
qor("Salaan, Adduunka!")

door magac = "Hodan"
abn da = 21

hawl salaan(qof) {
    celi "Salaan, " + qof + "!"
}

haddii (da >= 18) {
    qor(salaan(magac))
} kale {
    qor("Weli waad yar tahay")
}

$ soplang salaan.sop

Salaan, Adduunka!

Salaan, Hodan!

Supported by

Docker

Ereybixin

Somali keywords, plain meaning

Each keyword is an everyday Somali word. If you already know another language, this is the whole translation.

All keywords

qor: print
door: variable
hawl: function
celi: return
haddii: if
kale: else
intay: while
kuceli: for
qaab: class
cusub: new
tijaabi: try
qabo: catch
keen: import
run: true
been: false
maran: null

Why Soplang

A language that speaks Somali

Code that reads like Somali

Keywords say what they do. A learner can follow a loop before learning the English word for it.

liisas.sop

teed miro = ["moos", "liin", "canbe"]

kuceli (i 0 ilaa 2) {
    qor(i + ": " + miro[i])
}

door tiro = 3
intay (tiro > 0) {
    qor(tiro)
    tiro = tiro - 1
}

intay means while
kuceli counts from one value to another
qor prints to the screen

Start dynamic, add types when they help

Use door for quick scripts. Use abn, qoraal, or teed when you want explicit type checks at analysis time and runtime.

noocyo.sop

door magac = "Hodan"     // dynamic
abn da = 21              // static: abn

hawl laban(abn x): abn {
    celi x * 2
}

qor(laban(da))           // 42
qor(nooc(magac))         // qoraal

Typed parameters and return values
Known type mismatches are caught before running
--strict requires a type on every variable

Classes and inheritance

qaab defines a class, cusub creates an instance, and dhaxal inherits from a parent class.

xayawaan.sop

qaab Xayawaan {
    hawl dhis(magac) {
        nafta.magac = magac
    }
}

qaab Eey dhaxal Xayawaan {
    hawl cod() {
        celi nafta.magac + ": Waf!"
    }
}

door e = cusub Eey("Libaax")
qor(e.cod())             // Libaax: Waf!

dhis is the constructor
nafta refers to the current instance
Child classes override parent methods

Error messages in Somali

Diagnostics name the source file, line and column, and point at the problem. Some also suggest a fix. Catch runtime errors with tijaabi and qabo.

terminal

$ soplang luqad.sop
Khalad nooc: Ma bedeli kartid qiimaha doorsamaha madoor 'luqad' [E020] safka 2, tiirka 1
     --> luqad.sop:2:1
   2 │   luqad = "English"
     │   ^^^^^
     └─ Doorsamaha madoor ma beddeli karaan qiimahooda. Isticmaal 'door' haddii aad rabto mid beddeli kara.

Errors are written in Somali
Each message shows the line it came from
tijaabi and qabo work like try and catch

Get started

From install to first program

01
Install
Download the installer for your system, or run Soplang with Docker.
soplang --versionGo to downloads
02
Write
Create a file that ends in .sop and write your first line.
qor("Salaan!")Read the guide
03
Run
Run the file from your terminal, or open the REPL to try ideas.
soplang salaan.sopCLI and REPL

FAQ

Questions about Soplang

What is Soplang?

Soplang (Somali Programming Language) is a free, open-source programming language whose keywords are Somali words. qor prints to the screen, haddii means if, intay means while, and hawl defines a function. It supports both dynamic and static typing, classes and inheritance, modules, and error handling with tijaabi and qabo.

Who created Soplang?

Soplang was created by Sharafdin Yusuf and first released in October 2023. It is developed and maintained by Somast, with help from open-source contributors on GitHub.

Who is Soplang for?

Students, teachers, and developers who think in Somali. A beginner can read a Soplang program like a sentence before learning the English words most languages use, and error messages are written in Somali too.

Is Soplang free?

Yes. Soplang is released under the MIT license, so you can use it for learning, teaching, and commercial work. The source code is on GitHub.

Which systems does Soplang run on?

Soplang 3 has packages for Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon, and Linux x86_64. A Linux amd64 Docker image includes the native build tools. See Downloads for system requirements.

How do I write my first program?

Install Soplang, create a file called hello.sop containing qor("Salaan, Adduunka!"), and run soplang hello.sop in your terminal. The getting-started guide walks through each step.

“Dhis software adigoo adeegsanaya afkaaga hooyo.”

Build software in your mother tongue.

Soplang started in 2023 so that the first obstacle to learning code would be the idea, not the language it is written in.

Read our story

Ready to write your first line?

Install Soplang, open the guide, and run a program in Somali in a few minutes.

Install Soplang Read the docs