The Isthmic languages are a branch of the Chibchan languages that includes the most speakers of the language family; they are spoken in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.

Costa Rican linguist specializing in Chibchan languages Adolfo Constenla Umaña identifies several phonological and grammatical characteristics that distinguish the Isthmic languages from other Chibchan languages.^[1]

The Isthmic languages are subdivided into three groups: the Western Isthmic/Talamanca languages, the Doraric languages, and the Eastern Isthmic/Guaymí–Guna languages.

The Western Isthmic languages are spoken in Costa Rica and northern Panama. They are Boruca, an extinct language that was spoken in the canton of Buenos Aires in Costa Rica;,^[2] Bribri, spoken in the cantons of Buenos Aires and Talamanca in Costa Rica;,^[2] Cabécar, spoken in the canton of Talamanca in Costa Rica;,^[2] and Teribe, spoken in the south of Puntarenas Province in Costa Rica and in the north of Bocas del Toro Province in Panama.^[2]

The similarities between Bribri and Cabécar justify grouping them together within a common subgroup, the Viceitic languages.^[3]

The Doraric languages were spoken in northern Panama, near the Costa Rican border. The two known representatives of this group are the extinct languages Changuena;^[4] and Dorasque^[5]

The Eastern Isthmic languages are spoken in Panama and Colombia. They are Buglere, spoken in Panama;,^[5] Ngäbere, spoken in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca in Panama and in southern Costa Rica, near the Panamanian border;,^[5] and Guna, spoken in Panama and Colombia.^[5]

The similarities between Buglere and Ngäbere justify grouping them together within a common subgroup, the Guaymi languages.^[3]

The numerals in different isthmic varieties are:

Glossary	Western				Eastern			Proto-Isthmic
	Boruca	Bribri	Cabécar	Teribe	Buglere	Ngäbere	Guna
1	éʔtsè	éköl	é-	kʰwara	gdɑite	di	gwen	*e-kwə
2	búʔk	bö́l	bó-	pʰo̘k̚	gdɑboke	bu	bo	*boke
3	máŋ	mañál	bāʤã́-	mya	gdɑmɑ̃ĩ	mɔ	baa	*bayã
4	báxkàŋ	tkë́l	pkí-(N.) tkí-(S.)	pkɪŋ	gdɑbɑgɑ	bgɔ	bake	*bake
5	ʃɪʃkáŋ	ské̠l	skẽ́-	ʃkɪŋ	gdɑtigɑ	rigɛ	atar	*tig(?) (*skẽ-)
6	téʃàŋ	teröl	sàhurà+1	tʰɛr	gdɑdereke	ti	nergwa	*ter-
7	kúx	kúl	sàhurà+2	kʰɔ̘k̚	gdɑguke	kɯɡɯ	gugle	*gug(l)e
8	éxtàŋ kúxtàŋ	pàköl	sàhurà+3	kʰwoŋ	gdɑpɑ	kwɔ	baabak	*kwog-(?)
9	éxkùx	su̠lì̠tu	sàhurà+4	ʃkaw	gdɑĩnkɑ	ɤɡɔ̃	bakebak	?
10	téxkùx	dabam	sàhurà bótkʊ̀	sakwara	gdɑtɑboko	ni hɔdɔ	ambe	*taba(?)

• Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2012). "Chibchan language". In Campbell, Lyle; Grondona, Veronica (eds.). The Indigenous Languages of South America: A Comprehensive Guide. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Brill. pp. 391–439. ISBN 978-3-11-025513-3..
• Natacha, Chevrier (2017). Analyse de la phonologie du bribri (chibcha) dans une perspective typologique: nasalité et géminée modulée. Lyon: University of Lyon. Retrieved 2026-05-26..
• Constenla Umaña, Adolfo. 1981. Comparative Chibchan Phonology. (Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia). "Enllaç".
• Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (1991). Las lenguas del Área Intermedia: Introducción a su estudio areal. San José, C.R.: Editorial de la University of Costa Rica.
• Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (1995). "Sobre el estudio diacrónico de las lenguas chibchenses y su contribución al conocimiento del pasado de sus hablantes". Boletín del Museo del Oro (38–39): 13–56. Archived from the original on 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
• Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2002). "Acerca de la relación genealógica entre las lenguas lencas y las lenguas misumalpas" (PDF). Revista de Filología y Lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica (28): 189–206.
• Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2005). "¿Existe relación genealógica entre las lenguas misumalpas y las chibchenses?". Estudios de Lingüística Chibcha (24): 7–85.
• Constenla Umaña, Adolfo (2008). "Estado actual de la subclasificación de las lenguas chibchenses y de la reconstrucción fonológica y gramatical del protochibchense". Estudios de Lingüística Chibcha (27): 117–135.