Biography.guide
Home › People › Writer › Yasin Osman Kenadid
Portrait of Yasin Osman Kenadid

Yasin Osman Kenadid

1919 – 1988

Somali linguist, author, educator, and government official

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Yasin Osman Kenadid

Lived 1919 – 1988 (aged 68–69). Yasin Osman Kenadid was a Somali writer, linguist, teacher and civil servant.

Yasin Osman Kenadid (, ) (1919–27 November 1988) was a Somali intellectual, writer and linguist. He was an influential literary scholar, having written a seminal dictionary of the Somali language.

Biography Kenadid was born in Hobyo (Obbia), Somalia during 1919. He attended a Quranic school until he was fifteen. He then move to Mogadishu, attending both Italian and Arabic schools where he learned English.

Kenadid helped found the Society for Somali Language and Literature. He is also one of the thirteen founders of the Somali Youth League (SYL) and was member of the National Somali Language Committee that decided on the standard spelling of modern Somali.

Works Kenadid's best-known book is the dictionary that was the only standard Somali dictionary for decades: Qaamuuska Af-Soomaaliga, 1976 Mogadishu/Firenze, Wasaradda Hiddaha iyo Taclinta Sare, Akademyaha Dhaqanqa.

He is also known as an influential literary scholar: 1984 Ina Abdille Hassan and his literary activity, Naples, Istituto Universitario Orientale

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1919, Hobyow, Ceelhuur
Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Yaasiin Cismaan Keenadiid, Yaasiin C. Keenadiid

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Yasin Osman Kenadid's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Yasin Osman Kenadid?

Somali linguist, author, educator, and government official

When was Yasin Osman Kenadid born?

Yasin Osman Kenadid was born in 1919 in Hobyow, Ceelhuur.

When did Yasin Osman Kenadid die?

Yasin Osman Kenadid died on 27 November 1988.

What was Yasin Osman Kenadid's occupation?

Yasin Osman Kenadid was a writer, linguist, teacher and civil servant.

What nationality was Yasin Osman Kenadid?

Yasin Osman Kenadid was Somali.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Yasin Osman Kenadid

· Wikidata: Q15489802

· DBpedia: Yasin Osman Kenadid

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Yasin Osman Kenadid. https://biography.guide/yasin-osman-kenadid/

MLA: "Yasin Osman Kenadid." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/yasin-osman-kenadid/.

Chicago: "Yasin Osman Kenadid." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/yasin-osman-kenadid/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:19 UTC