Cosao (autonym: '; ) is a Loloish language of China and Laos. The Cosao call themselves ', but are referred to by other ethnic groups as the Paijiao people (æÂÂè§Â人). They are officially classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Hani people.
In China, there are 149 ethnic Cosao people living in the village of Man'gang æ¼åÂÂ, Mengban Village Ã¥ÂÂä¼´æÂÂ, Mengban Town Ã¥ÂÂä¼´éÂÂ, Mengla County, Yunnan.
In northern Laos, there are 400 ethnic Cosao people in 2 villages in Phongsaly Province, namely Ban Nanli æ¿åÂÂé (21ð45â²15â³N 102ð11â²21â³E) and Ban Shalue æ¿æ²ÂçÂÂ¥ in Boun Tay District ä¹Âå¾·å¿ (Bai 2015:2-3). Ban Nanli is the older village of the two, since Cosao residents of Ban Shalue report that their ancestors had migrated from Ban Nanli. The two villages are located about 20 kilometers apart from each other.
There are 550 Cosao people total in both China and Laos. In China, Cosao speakers are classified as ethnic Hani.
Cosao is most closely related to the Khir language of Phongsaly Province, Laos. In turn, Cosao and Khir both belong to the Sila language cluster, which includes Sila, Sida, Phusang, Khir, and Cosao.