Kabardian also known as East Circassian, is a Northwest Caucasian language closely related to the Adyghe language. Circassian nationalists reject the distinction between the two languages and refer to them both as "Circassian".

The Northwest Caucasian languages, also called West Caucasian, Abkhazo-Adyghean, Abkhazo-Circassian, Circassic, or sometimes Pontic languages, is a family of languages spoken in the northwestern Caucasus region, chiefly in three Russian republics, the disputed territory of Abkhazia, Georgia, and Turkey, with smaller communities scattered throughout the Middle East.