Laru language should not be confused with Laro language.
| Laru | |
| Nativename: | Shen |
| Region: | Niger State |
| States: | Nigeria |
| Speakers: | 6,000 |
| Date: | 1995–2014 |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Benue–Congo |
| Fam4: | Kainji |
| Fam5: | Kainji Lake? |
| Lc1: | lan |
| Ld1: | Laru |
| Lc2: | cbq |
| Ld2: | Cuba |
| Dia1: | Laru (Shen) |
| Dia2: | Cuba (Tsucuba, Shuba) |
| Glotto: | laru1238 |
| Glottoname: | Laru/Shen |
| Glottorefname: | Laru (Nigeria) |
| Glotto2: | cuba1236 |
| Glottoname2: | Cuba/Shuba |
| Glottorefname2: | Cuba |
Laru (Laro, also Shen or Sengwe[1]) is a minor Kainji language of Nigeria. It has one dialect: Cuba (Tsucuba, Shuba). Speakers are shifting to Busa.
There are three dialects of Shen, spoken in the following villages.[2]
The major villages, ordered from largest to smallest, are Sàːgúnú, Kárábàndéi, Sʷàʃí, Lúmːà, and Mɔ̀nːáĩ. There are fewer than 4,000 speakers.
Ethnologue (22nd ed.) lists Laru villages as Karabonde, Leshigbe, Luma, Monnai, Sansanni, and Shagunu.