Chin (Hakha) (Baungshe, Pawi), or Lai, is a language spoken in Southeast Asia by 446,264 people.^[1] The total figure includes 2,000 Zokhua and 60,100 Lai speakers.^[1] The speakers are largely concentrated in Chin State in western Burma and Mizoram in eastern India, with a small number of speakers in southeastern Bangladesh.
The Hakha-Chin language acts as a lingua franca in most parts of Chin State and is a native language in Hakha, Thantlang, and parts of Matupi. Derived from the same Lai dialect and sharing 85% of their phonology, Hakha speakers can easily communicate with Falam speakers. As the capital of Chin State, Hakha provides government employment and business opportunities to people living elsewhere in Chin State. These people live here temporarily or permanently, and their families eventually learn how to speak Hakha.