Languages of India

22 Major Languages

India is the seventh-largest country by the area and the second-most populous country in the world with more than 1.3 billion people. Census of 2011 showed there are 121 languages and out of them 22 are the official languages.

Browse through the table of contents to see the breakdown of languages of India in both tabular and infographic format.

Table of Contents:

Languages of India:

Hindi [ Hindī ] (हिन्दी)

Known As : Khadi Boli, Khari Boli

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 528 million (528,347,193)
(in Crore / Lakh): 52.8 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 691 million (691,347,193)
(in Crore / Lakh): 69.1 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: India, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Also Spoken In: Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tabago and Pakistan.

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Devanagari

Language Code : hi

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Bengali [ bɛŋˈɡɔːli ] (বাংলা)

Known As : Bangla

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 97 million (97,237,669)
(in Crore / Lakh): 9.7 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 107 million (107,237,669)
(in Crore / Lakh): 10.7 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: West Bengal, Tripura, Barak Valley region of the State of Assam
Also Spoken In: Bay of Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Uttarakhand

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Bengali

Language Code : bn

Ethnicity : Bengalis

Marathi [ məˈrɑːti ] (मराठी, 𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲)

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 83 million (83,026,680)
(in Crore / Lakh): 8.3 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 99 million (99,026,680)
(in Crore / Lakh): 9.9 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Maharashtra, Goa
Also Spoken In: Parts of Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Devanagari

Language Code : mr

Ethnicity : Marathis

Telugu [ tɛlʊɡuː ] (తెలుగు)

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 81 million (81,127,740)
(in Crore / Lakh): 8.1 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 94 million (94,127,740)
(in Crore / Lakh): 9.4 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
Also Spoken In: Odisha, Karnataka, Tamil nadu, Kerala, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Andaman and Nicobar Island

Language Family : Dravidian

Writing System : Telugu Alphabet

Language Code : te

Ethnicity : Telugu people

Tamil [ tæmɪl ] (தமிழ்)

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 69 million (69,026,881)
(in Crore / Lakh): 6.9 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 77 million (77,026,881)
(in Crore / Lakh): 7.7 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Tamil Nadu
Also Spoken In: Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Island

Language Family : Dravidian

Writing System : Tamil (Brahmic)

Language Code : ta

Ethnicity : Tamil people

Gujarati [ ɡʊdʒəˈrɑːti ] (ગુજરાતી)

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 55 million (55,492,554)
(in Crore / Lakh): 5.5 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 60 million (60,492,554)
(in Crore / Lakh): 6.0 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Gujarat
Also Spoken In: Mumbai

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Gujarati Script (Brahmic)

Language Code : gu

Ethnicity : Gujaratis, Parsis

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Urdu [ ʊərdu: ] (اُردُو)

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 50 million (50,772,631)
(in Crore / Lakh): 5.0 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 62 million (62,772,631)
(in Crore / Lakh): 6.2 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir
Also Spoken In: Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West bengal

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Perso-Arabic (Urdu Alphabet)

Language Code : ur

Ethnicity : Urdu-speaking people

Kannada [ kɑːnədə ] (ಕನ್ನಡ)

Known As : Kanarese

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 43 million (43,706,512)
(in Crore / Lakh): 4.3 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 58 million (58,706,512)
(in Crore / Lakh): 5.8 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Karnataka
Also Spoken In: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Goa

Language Family : Dravidian

Writing System : Kannada Script

Language Code : kh

Ethnicity : Kannadiga

Odia [ əˈdiːə ] (ଓଡ଼ିଆ)

Known As : Oriya

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 37 million (37,521,324)
(in Crore / Lakh): 3.7 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 42 million (42,551,324)
(in Crore / Lakh): 4.2 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Odisha
Also Spoken In: West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Odia Script

Language Code : or

Ethnicity : Odias

Malayalam [ ˌmæləˈjɑːləm ] (മലയാളം)

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 34 million (34,838,819)
(in Crore / Lakh): 3.4 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 35 million (35,538,819)
(in Crore / Lakh): 3.5 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Kerala, Lakshadweep and Puducherry
Also Spoken In: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

Language Family : Dravidian

Writing System : Malayalam script (Brahmic)

Language Code : ml

Ethnicity : Malayali

Punjabi [ pənˈdʒaːbːi ] (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ)

Known As : Gurmukhi

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 33 million (33,124,726)
(in Crore / Lakh): 3.3 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 36 million (36,074,726)
(in Crore / Lakh): 3.6 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Punjab region of India & Pakistan
Also Spoken In:

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Gurmukhi

Language Code : pa

Ethnicity : Punjabis

Assamese [ æsəˈmiːz ] (অসমীয়া)

Known As : Asamiya

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 15 million (15,311,351)
(in Crore / Lakh): 1.5 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million):
(in Crore / Lakh):
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Assam
Also Spoken In: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagamese, Nagaland

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Eastern Nagari

Language Code : as

Ethnicity : Assamese

Maithili [ Maithilī ] (मैथिली)

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 13.5 million (13,583,464)
(in Crore / Lakh): 1.35 Crore
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million):
(in Crore / Lakh):
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: States of Bihar
Also Spoken In: Jharkhand

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Tirhuta (Mithilakshar)

Language Code : mai

Ethnicity : Maithil

Santali (ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ)

Known As : Santhali

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 7.3 million (7,368,192)
(in Crore / Lakh): 73 Lakh
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million):
(in Crore / Lakh):
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand
Also Spoken In: Mizoram, Odisha, Pripura, West Bengal

Language Family : Austroasiatic

Writing System : Ol Chiki script

Language Code : sat

Ethnicity : Santal

Kashmiri [ kæʃˈmɪəri ] (كٲشُر)

Known As : Koshur

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 6.7 million (6,797,587)
(in Crore / Lakh): 67 Lakh
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million):
(in Crore / Lakh):
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Jammu and Kashmir
Also Spoken In:

Language Family : Dardic

Writing System : Perso-Arabic Script

Language Code : ks

Ethnicity : Kashmiris

Nepali [ nɪˈpɔːli ] (नेपाली)

Known As : Khas Kura

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 2.9 million (2,926,168)
(in Crore / Lakh): 29 Lakh
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 27.9 million
(in Crore / Lakh): 2.79 Crore
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Nepal (Oldest Country in South Asia and the Birth place of Lord Buddha)
Also Spoken In: Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Devanagari

Language Code : ne

Ethnicity : Khas

Sindhi [ ˈsɪndi ] (سنڌي)

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 2.7 million (2,772,264)
(in Crore / Lakh): 17 Lakh
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million):
(in Crore / Lakh):
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Sindh
Also Spoken In:

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Perso-Arabic (Naskh)

Language Code : sd

Ethnicity : Sindhis

Dogri

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 2.5 million (2,596,767)
(in Crore / Lakh): 25 Lakh
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million):
(in Crore / Lakh):
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Jammu Region
Also Spoken In: Himachal Pradesh, Northern Punjab

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Dogra Akkhar version of Takri script

Language Code : doi

Ethnicity : Dogras

Konkani [ Kōṅkaṇī ] (कोंकणी)

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 2.3 million (2,256,502)
(in Crore / Lakh): 23 Lakh
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million):
(in Crore / Lakh):
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Goa
Also Spoken In: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat, Dadra, nagar haveli, Daman and Diu

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Devanagari

Language Code : kok

Ethnicity : Konkani people

Manipuri [ mənɪˈpʊri ] (ꯃꯤꯇꯩꯂꯣꯟ)

Known As : Meitei, Meetai

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 1.8 million (1,761,079)
(in Crore / Lakh): 18 Lakh
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million):
(in Crore / Lakh):
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Manipur
Also Spoken In: Assam, Tripura

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Meetei Mayek

Language Code : mni

Ethnicity : Meitei, Pangal

Boro [ bɔɽo ] (बर/बड़)

Known As : Bodo

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): 1.4 million (1,482,929)
(in Crore / Lakh): 14 Lakh
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million):
(in Crore / Lakh):
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: Northeast India, Bengal
Also Spoken In: Assam

Language Family : Sino-Tibetan

Writing System : Devanagari

Language Code : brx

Ethnicity : Boro People

Sanskrit [ ˈsænskrɪt ] (संस्कृत)

Known As : Samskrta

Total Speakers in India (based on census of 2011) :
(in million): < 1 million (24821)
(in Crore / Lakh):
Total Speakers Worldwide :
(in million): 2.3 million (2,360,821)
(in Crore / Lakh): 23 Lakh
Spoken In (Official and Secondary Langauges) :
Official Language: South Asia
Also Spoken In:

Language Family : Indo-Aryan

Writing System : Brahmi Script

Language Code : sat

Infographic:

Infographic of Languages of India

Download Infogram

More on Languages of India:


Hindi Language


Hindi (हिन्दी, ISO: Hindī) - also known as "Khadi Boli, Khari Boli", is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by people in the Indian sub-continent of Asia.

It is an official language in India, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Besides, Hindi is also spoken in Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tabago and Pakistan.

There are 528 million (52.8 Crore) total speakers of Hindi in India and another 691 million (69.1 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Bengali Language


Bengali (বাংলা, ISO: bɛŋˈɡɔːli) - also known as "Bangla", is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Bengalis people.

It is an official language in West Bengal, Tripura, and the Barak Valley region of the State of Assam. Besides, Bengali is also spoken in Bay of Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Uttarakhand

There are 97 million (9.7 Crore) total speakers of Bengali in India and another 107 million (10.7 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Marathi Language


Marathi (मराठी, 𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲, ISO: məˈrɑːti), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Marathis people in India.

It is an official language in Maharashtra and Goa. Besides, Marathi is also spoken in Parts of Gujarat, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh.

There are 83 million (8.3 Crore) total speakers of Marathi in India and another 99 million (9.9 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Telugu Language


Telugu (తెలుగు, ISO: tɛlʊɡuː), is an Dravidian language spoken as a first language by Telugu people.

It is an official language in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana. Besides, Telugu is also spoken in Odisha, Karnataka, Tamil nadu, Kerala, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Andaman and Nicobar Island.

There are 81 million (8.1 Crore) total speakers of Telugu in India and another 94 million (9.4 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Tamil Language


Tamil (தமிழ், ISO: tæmɪl), is an Dravidian language spoken as a first language by Tamil people.

It is an official language in Tamil Nadu. Tamil is also spoken in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Island.

There are 69 million (6.9 Crore) total speakers of Tamil in India and another 77 million (7.7 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Gujarati Language


Gujarati (ગુજરાતી, ISO: ɡʊdʒəˈrɑːti), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Gujaratis, Parsis people.

It is an official language in Gujarat. Gujarati is also spoken in Mumbai as a secondary language and in other parts of the world.

There are 55 million (5.5 Crore) total speakers of Gujarati in India and another 60 million (6.0 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Urdu Language


Urdu (اُردُو, ISO: ʊərdu:), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Urdu-speaking people.

It is an official language in Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, Urdu is also spoken in Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West bengal.

There are 50 million (5.0 Crore) total speakers of Urdu in India and another 62 million (6.2 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Kannada Language


Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ, ISO: kɑːnədə) - also known as "Kanarese", is an Dravidian language spoken as a first language by Kannadiga people.

It is an official language in Karnataka. Besides, Kannada is also spoken in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, and Goa.

There are 43 million (4.3 Crore) total speakers of Kannada in India and another 58 million (5.8 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Odia Language


Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ, ISO: əˈdiːə) - also known as "Oriya", is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Odias people.

It is an official language in Odisha. Odia is also spoken in West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh.

There are 37 million (3.7 Crore) total speakers of Odia in India and another 42 million (4.2 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Malayalam Language


Malayalam (മലയാളം, ISO: ˌmæləˈjɑːləm), is an Dravidian language spoken as a first language by Malayali people.

It is an official language in Kerala, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. Besides, Malayalam is also spoken in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

There are 34 million (3.4 Crore) total speakers of Malayalam in India and another 35 million (3.5 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Punjabi Language


Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, ISO: pənˈdʒaːbːi) - also known as "Gurmukhi", is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Punjabis people.

It is an official language in the Punjab region of India & Pakistan. Besides, Punjabi is also spoken in other parts of the world.

There are 33 million (3.3 Crore) total speakers of Punjabi in India and another 36 million (3.6 Crore) as second language speakers across the world.

Assamese Language


Assamese (অসমীয়া, ISO: æsəˈmiːz) - also known as "Asamiya", is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Assamese people.

It is an official language in Assam. Besides, Assamese is also spoken in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagamese and Nagaland.

There are 15 million (1.5 Crore) total speakers of Assamese in India and other parts of the world.

Maithili Language


Maithili (मैथिली, ISO: Maithilī), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Maithil people.

It is an official language in the States of Bihar. Besides, Maithili is also spoken in Jharkhand.

There are 13.5 million (1.35 Crore) total speakers of Maithili in India and other parts of the world.

Click here to translate in Maithili.

Santali Language


Santali (ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ) - also known as "Santhali", is an Austroasiatic language spoken as a first language by Santal people.

It is an official language in Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand. Santali is also spoken in Mizoram, Odisha, Pripura, and West Bengal.

There are 7.3 million (73 Lakh) total speakers of Santali in India and other parts of the world.

Kashmiri Language


Kashmiri (كٲشُر, ISO: kæʃˈmɪəri) - also known as "Koshur", is an Dardic language spoken as a first language by Kashmiris people.

It is an official language in the Jammu and Kashmir.

There are 6.7 million (67 Lakh) total speakers of Kashmiri in India and other parts of the world.

Nepali Language


Nepali (नेपाली, ISO: nɪˈpɔːli) - also known as "Khas Kura", is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Khas people.

It is an official language in Nepal (Oldest Country in South Asia and the Birthplace of Lord Buddha). Besides, Nepali is also spoken in Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong.

There are 2.9 million (29 Lakh) total speakers of Nepali as a second language in India and another 27.9 million (2.79 Crore) as official language in Nepal.

Sindhi Language


Sindhi (سنڌي, ISO: ˈsɪndi), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Sindhis people.

It is an official language in Sindh.

There are 2.7 million (17 Lakh) total speakers of Sindhi in India and other parts of the world.

Dogri Language


Dogri is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Dogras people.

It is an official language in Jammu Region. Besides, Dogri is also spoken in Himachal Pradesh, and Northern Punjab.

There are 2.5 million (25 Lakh) total speakers of Dogri in India and other parts of the world.

Konkani Language


Konkani (कोंकणी, ISO: Kōṅkaṇī), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Konkani people.

It is an official language in Goa. Besides, Konkani is also spoken in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat, Dadra, nagar haveli, Daman and Diu.

There are 2.3 million (23 Lakh) total speakers of Konkani in India and other parts of the world.

Manipuri Language


Manipuri (ꯃꯤꯇꯩꯂꯣꯟ, ISO: mənɪˈpʊri) - also known as "Meitei, Meetai", is an Indo-Aryan language spoken as a first language by Meitei, Pangal people.

It is an official language in Manipur. Besides, it is also spoken in Assam, and Tripura.

There are 1.8 million (18 Lakh) total speakers of Manipuri in India and other parts of the world.

Boro Language


Boro (बर/बड़, ISO: bɔɽo) - also known as "Bodo", is an Sino-Tibetan language spoken as a first language by Boro people.

It is an official language in Northeast India and Bengal. Boro is also spoken in Assam.

There are 1.4 million (14 Lakh) total speakers of Boro in India and other parts of the world.

Sanskrit Language


Sanskrit (संस्कृत, ISO: ˈsænskrɪt) - also known as "Samskrta", is an Indo-Aryan language.

It is an official language in South Asia.

There are around 24821 total speakers of Sanskrit in India and another 2.3 million (23 Lakh) as second language speakers across the world.