It is a Malayic language, meaning it belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family. This means it is closely related to other languages like Malay, Indonesian, and Filipino.
Tausug is spoken primarily in the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines, as well as in parts of Sabah in Malaysia and North Kalimantan in Indonesia. It is also spoken by Tausug communities in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States.