Languages of Asia

Country | Official and National Languages | Other Spoken Languages

Afghanistan

• Pashto (Eastern Iranian tongue spoken by the Pashtun community).

• Dari Persian (Afghan Persian).

• Various Turkic and smaller languages.

Armenia

• Armenian (A standalone member of the Indo-European family).

• The distinct Armenian script, introduced in 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots.

• Russian is prevalent.

Azerbaijan

• Azerbaijani (89%); a Turkic tongue from the Altaic group.

• Russian (3%), Armenian (2%), and other languages (6%).

Bahrain

• Arabic.

• English, Farsi, and Urdu.

Bangladesh

• Bengali.

• English.

Bhutan

• Dzongkha.

• Various Tibetan and Nepalese dialects among the Bhotes and Nepalese.

Brunei Darussalam

• Malay and English.

• Chinese.

Cambodia

• Khmer.

• A declining usage of French; English gaining traction.

China

• Standard Chinese or Putonghua.

• Various regional dialects like Wu, Yue (Cantonese), and Uyghur.

• English, Portuguese, Tibetan, and Mongolian.

Cyprus

• Greek and Turkish.

• English.

Georgia

• Georgian.

• Russian, Armenian, Azeri, among others.

• Note: Abkhaz is Abkhazia's official language.

India

• Hindi and Urdu.

• English serves as the primary language for national and commercial communication.

• Multiple regional languages like Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu, among others.

Indonesia

• Bahasa Indonesia.

• English, Dutch, and numerous local dialects, notably Javanese.

Iran

• Persian (58%).

• Turkic, Kurdish, Luri, Balochi, and Arabic.

Iraq

• Arabic and Kurdish (official since 2004).

• Assyrian, Armenian, and Turcoman.

Israel

• Hebrew and Arabic.

• Yiddish, Ladino, and various Judeo-languages.

• English is prevalent.

Japan

• Japanese.

• Ryukyuan languages.

Jordan

• Arabic.

• English is prevalent among the upper and middle classes.

Kazakhstan

• Kazakh (64.4%).

• Russian.

Korea (North)

• Korean.

Korea (South)

• Korean; written in Hangeul.

• English is a common subject in schools.

Kuwait

• Arabic.

• English is widely understood.

Kyrgyzstan

• Kyrgyz and Russian; both hold official status.

Laos

• Lao.

• Thai, French, and English, along with various ethnic languages.

Lebanon

• Arabic.

• French, English, and Armenian.

Macau

• Mandarin and Portuguese.

• Cantonese (Yue) is universally spoken; English is used in official capacities.

Malaysia

• Bahasa Melayu.

• English, Chinese dialects, and other languages; notable indigenous languages include Iban and Kadazan.

Maldives

• Dhivehi.

• English among government officials.

Mongolia

• Khalkha Mongol.

• Turkic and Russian.

Myanmar (Burma)

• Burmese.

• English in tourist areas; numerous ethnic languages.

Nepal

• Nepali (90%).

• Sixty ethnic groups with distinct dialects.

Oman

• Arabic.

• English, Baluchi, Urdu, and Indian dialects.

Palestine

• Arabic and Hebrew.

• English is commonly understood.

Pakistan

• Urdu and English.

• Punjabi, Sindhi, and various other languages.

Philippines

• Filipino and English.

• Major dialects include Tagalog, Cebuano, and Ilocano.

Qatar

• Arabic.

• English is commonly spoken.

Saudi Arabia

• Arabic.

Singapore

• Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English.

Sri Lanka

• Sinhala (74%) and Tamil (18%).

• Various other languages; English in governmental roles.

Syria

• Arabic.

• Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, and Circassian.

Taiwan

• Mandarin.

• Taiwanese and Hakka dialects.

Tajikistan

• Tajik.

• Russian in official and business settings.

Thailand

• Thai.

• English and regional dialects.

Timor-Leste

• Tetum and Portuguese.

• Indonesian and English; numerous indigenous languages.

Turkey

• Turkish.

• Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, and Greek.

Turkmenistan

• Turkmen (72%).

• Russian and Uzbek.

United Arab Emirates

• Arabic.

• Persian, English, Hindi, and Urdu.

Uzbekistan

• Uzbek (74.3%).

• Russian and Tajik.

Viet Nam

• Vietnamese.

• English and regional languages.

Yemen

• Arabic. 

Source: https://sites.google.com/idiomatic.net/idiomaticlanguageservices/languages/languages-of-asia