Ashanti, Asante, or Asante Twi, is spoken by over 9 million ethnic Ashanti people as a first language and second language. Ashanti (or Ashanti Twi) is one of three literary dialects of the Akan language of southern Ghana, and the prestige dialect of that language. It is spoken in and around Kumasi, the capital of Ashanti Region and the former Ashanti Empire and current subnational Asante Kingdom within Ghana.