List of official languages facts for kids
Have you ever wondered why people in different countries speak different languages? Or why some countries have more than one official language? An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a country, state, or other area. This means it's used for government business, laws, and official documents. Sometimes, a language might be used a lot by people in a country but isn't officially recognized by the government. We call these de facto official languages. This article explores some of the official languages spoken around the world.
Contents
- What is an Official Language?
- Official Languages Around the World
- Abkhaz
- Afrikaans
- Albanian
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Armenian
- Azerbaijani
- Belarusian
- Bengali
- Berber
- Bosnian
- Bulgarian
- Burmese
- Catalan
- Chinese, Mandarin
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dari
- Dhivehi
- Dutch
- Dzongkha
- English
- Estonian
- Faroese
- Fijian
- Filipino
- Finnish
- French
- Georgian
- German
- Greek
- Guaraní
- Haitian Creole
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hiri Motu
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Indonesian
- Irish
- Italian
- Japanese
- Khmer
- Kinyarwanda
- Kirundi
- Korean
- Kurdish
- Lao
- Latin
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Luxembourgish
- Macedonian
- Malagasy
- Malay
- Maltese
- Māori
- Marshallese
- Mongolian
- Montenegrin
- Nauruan
- Nepali
- New Zealand Sign Language
- Norwegian
- Oromo
- Palauan
- Papiamento
- Pashto
- Persian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Quechua
- Romanian
- Romansh
- Russian
- Samoan
- Sango
- Scots
- Serbian
- Seychellois Creole
- Shona
- Sinhala
- Slovak
- Slovene
- Somali
- Sotho
- Spanish
- Swahili
- Swati
- Swedish
- Tamil
- Tetum
- Thai
- Tigrinya
- Tok Pisin
- Tongan
- Tswana
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Tuvaluan
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Uzbek
- Vietnamese
- Welsh
- Wolof
- Xhosa
- Zimbabwean Sign Language
- Zulu
- Languages Spoken in Many Countries
- Languages for Regions and Minorities
What is an Official Language?
An official language is like a special language chosen by a country's government. It's the language used for things like writing laws, holding court, and communicating with citizens. For example, if a country has English as its official language, government forms and school lessons will likely be in English.
Some countries have only one official language, while others have many. When a country has more than one official language, they are called co-official languages. This often happens in countries with different groups of people who speak different languages.
Official Languages Around the World
Many countries have official languages. Here's a look at some of them, listed by the language name. You'll see how some languages are official in many places, while others are specific to one country or region.
Abkhaz
- Abkhazia (This country's independence is still being discussed. Abkhaz is official here along with Russian.)
Afrikaans
- Namibia (Afrikaans is official with English and German.)
- South Africa (This country has many official languages, including Afrikaans, English, and Zulu.)
Albanian
- Albania
- Kosovo (Albanian is official here with Serbian.)
- North Macedonia (Albanian is official with Macedonian.)
Amharic
Arabic
Arabic is an official language in many countries, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.
- Algeria (with Berber)
- Egypt
- Iraq (with Kurdish)
- Israel (with Hebrew)
- Saudi Arabia
- Sudan (with English)
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Belarusian
Bengali
- Bangladesh
- India (Bengali is one of India's many official languages, along with English.)
- Sierra Leone
Berber
Bosnian
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian is used here, along with Croatian and Serbian.)
Bulgarian
Burmese
- Myanmar (This country used to be called Burma.)
Catalan
Chinese, Mandarin
Mandarin Chinese is a very widely spoken language.
- Mainland China
- Singapore (with English, Malay, and Tamil.)
- Taiwan (Mandarin is official, along with other languages like Taiwanese Hokkien.)
Croatian
- Croatia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (with Bosnian and Serbian.)
Czech
Danish
- Denmark
- Faroe Islands (with Faroese.)
Dari
- Afghanistan (Dari is a type of Persian, official with Pashto.)
Dhivehi
Dutch
- Belgium (Dutch is official with French and German.)
- The Netherlands
- Suriname
Dzongkha
English
English is an official language in many countries around the world.
- Australia
- Canada (with French.)
- India (English is a link language, used with 22 regional languages.)
- New Zealand (with Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.)
- South Africa (with Afrikaans and many other languages.)
- United Kingdom (English is used for official purposes, though not officially declared for the whole UK.)
- United States (English is widely used, but there is no official language for the whole country.)
Estonian
Faroese
- Faroe Islands (with Danish.)
Fijian
- Fiji (with English and Fiji Hindi.)
Filipino
- Philippines (with English.)
Finnish
- Finland (with Swedish.)
French
French is another language spoken officially in many countries.
- Belgium (with Dutch and German.)
- Canada (with English.)
- France
- Haiti (with Haitian Creole.)
- Luxembourg (with German and Luxembourgish.)
- Switzerland (French is a national and official language, along with German and Italian.)
Georgian
German
- Austria
- Belgium (with Dutch and French.)
- Germany
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg (with French and Luxembourgish.)
- Switzerland (German is a national and official language, along with French and Italian.)
Greek
Guaraní
Haitian Creole
Hebrew
Hindi
- India (Hindi is an official language of the Union, along with English and 21 other regional languages.)
Hiri Motu
- Papua New Guinea (with English and Tok Pisin.)
Hungarian
Icelandic
Indonesian
- Indonesia (This is a form of Malay.)
Irish
- Republic of Ireland (Irish is the "national" language, with English as the "second official" language.)
Italian
- Italy
- San Marino
- Switzerland (Italian is a national and official language, along with French and German.)
- Vatican City (with Latin.)
Japanese
- Japan (Japanese is the main language, though not officially declared.)
Khmer
Kinyarwanda
Kirundi
Korean
- North Korea
- South Korea (with Korean Sign Language.)
Kurdish
Lao
Latin
- Holy See (This is the government of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City.)
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luxembourgish
- Luxembourg (with French and German.)
Macedonian
- North Macedonia (with Albanian.)
Malagasy
- Madagascar (with French.)
Malay
Maltese
- Malta (with English.)
Māori
- New Zealand (with English and New Zealand Sign Language.)
Marshallese
- Marshall Islands (with English.)
Mongolian
Montenegrin
Nauruan
Nepali
New Zealand Sign Language
- New Zealand (with English and Māori.)
Norwegian
- Norway (It has two official written forms: Bokmål and Nynorsk.)
Oromo
Palauan
Papiamento
Pashto
- Afghanistan (with Dari.)
Persian
- Iran
- Tajikistan (called Tajiki here, with Russian.)
Polish
Portuguese
- Angola
- Brazil
- Portugal
- East Timor (with Tetum.)
Quechua
Romanian
Romansh
- Switzerland (Romansh is a national language, and official in the canton of Grisons.)
Russian
- Russia
- Belarus (with Belarusian.)
- Kazakhstan (with Kazakh.)
- Kyrgyzstan (with Kyrgyz.)
Samoan
Sango
- Central African Republic (with French.)
Scots
- Scotland (along with English and Scots Gaelic.)
Serbian
- Serbia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (with Bosnian and Croatian.)
- Kosovo (with Albanian.)
Seychellois Creole
- Seychelles (with French and English.)
Shona
Sinhala
Slovak
Slovene
Somali
Sotho
- Lesotho (with English.)
- South Africa (with Afrikaans, English, and many other languages.)
Spanish
Spanish is an official language in many countries, especially in Central and South America.
- Argentina
- Bolivia (with Aymara, Quechua, and many other languages.)
- Chile
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Spain (Spanish is official, and other languages like Catalan are co-official in some regions.)
- Venezuela
Swahili
Swati
- Eswatini (with English.)
- South Africa (with Afrikaans, English, and many other languages.)
Swedish
Tamil
- India (Tamil is one of India's many official languages.)
- Singapore (with English, Chinese, and Malay.)
- Sri Lanka (with Sinhala and English.)
Tetum
- East Timor (with Portuguese.)
Thai
Tigrinya
Tok Pisin
- Papua New Guinea (with English and Hiri Motu.)
Tongan
Tswana
- Botswana (with English.)
- South Africa (with Afrikaans, English, and many other languages.)
Turkish
Turkmen
Tuvaluan
Ukrainian
Urdu
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
- United Kingdom (Welsh has official status in Wales.)
Wolof
Xhosa
- South Africa (with Afrikaans, English, and many other languages.)
Zimbabwean Sign Language
Zulu
- South Africa (with Afrikaans, English, and many other languages.)
Languages Spoken in Many Countries
This table shows which languages are official or widely used in the most countries.
| Language | Number of countries language spoken |
|---|---|
| English | 101 |
| French | 60 |
| Arabic | 51 |
| Standard Chinese | 33 |
| Spanish | 31 |
| Persian | 29 |
| German | 18 |
| Russian | 16 |
| Malay | 13 |
| Portuguese | 12 |
Languages for Regions and Minorities
Besides national official languages, many countries also recognize special languages for specific regions or for minority groups. These languages might be used in local government, schools, or public signs in those areas. For example:
- Basque: Co-official in some parts of Spain, like the Basque Country.
- Catalan: Also co-official in parts of Spain, such as Catalonia.
- Hawaiian: Official in Hawaii, USA, along with English.
- Irish: Recognized in Northern Ireland (United Kingdom).
- Sami: Official in certain municipalities in Finland, Norway, and Sweden, where Sami people live.
- Welsh: Has official status in Wales, United Kingdom.
