Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. It is also spoken by a significant number of people in the Indian states of Goa, Gujarat, and Karnataka. Marathi is the fourth most spoken language in India, with around 7% of the population speaking it as their first language. It is written in the Devanagari script, which is also used to write other languages such as Hindi and Nepali.

Marathi has a rich literary tradition and is one of the oldest languages of India, with a history dating back to the 10th century. It has a complex grammatical structure and a vocabulary that has been influenced by various other languages such as Persian, Arabic, and English. Marathi is also widely spoken in the Marathi diaspora around the world, particularly in the USA, Canada, and the Middle East.