Mooré (known in the language as
Mõõré; also
Mòoré, Mooré, Moré, Moshi, Moore, More) or simply
the Mossi language, is one of two official
regional languages of
Burkina Faso, closely related to the
Frafra language spoken just across the border in the
northern half of
Ghana and less-closely to
Dagbani and
Mampruli further south. It is the language of the
Mossi people, spoken by approximately 5 million people in
Burkina Faso, plus another 60,000+ in
Mali and
Togo. While Mooré is often referred to as "the Mossi language," many Burkinabé of other ethnic groups also speak Mooré, as it is the lingua franca in rural regions where knowledge of French is very limited.