ISO 2 Letter Language Codes

ISO language codes are standardized codes that represent languages and language families. They are defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and are used internationally to identify languages in various contexts.The codes below, which are sorted alphabetically by language (not language code) are to be used with the core lang attribute to identify the language contained inside the element that the lang attribute is applied to.

Table 1. Language Codes
Language	Code
Abkhazian	AB
Afar	AA
Afrikaans	AF
Albanian	SQ
Amharic	AM
Arabic	AR
Armenian	HY
Assamese	AS
Aymara	AY
Azerbaijani	AZ
Bashkir	BA
Basque	EU
Bengali, Bangla	BN
Bhutani	DZ
Bihari	BH
Bislama	BI
Breton	BR
Bulgarian	BG
Burmese	MY
Byelorussian	BE
Cambodian	KM
Catalan	CA
Chinese	ZH
Corsican	CO
Croatian	HR
Czech	CS
Danish	DA
Dutch	NL
English, American	EN
Esperanto	EO
Estonian	ET
Faeroese	FO
Fiji	FJ
Finnish	FI
French	FR
Frisian	FY
Gaelic (Scots Gaelic)	GD
Galician	GL
Georgian	KA
German	DE
Greek	EL
Greenlandic	KL
Guarani	GN
Gujarati	GU
Hausa	HA
Hebrew	IW
Hindi	HI
Hungarian	HU
Icelandic	IS
Indonesian	IN
Interlingua	IA
Interlingue	IE
Inupiak	IK
Irish	GA
Italian	IT
Japanese	JA
Javanese	JW
Kannada	KN
Kashmiri	KS
Kazakh	KK
Kinyarwanda	RW
Kirghiz	KY
Kirundi	RN
Korean	KO
Kurdish	KU
Laothian	LO
Latin	LA
Latvian, Lettish	LV
Lingala	LN
Lithuanian	LT
Macedonian	MK
Malagasy	MG
Malay	MS
Malayalam	ML
Maltese	MT
Maori	MI
Marathi	MR
Moldavian	MO
Mongolian	MN
Nauru	NA
Nepali	NE
Norwegian	NO
Occitan	OC
Oriya	OR
Oromo, Afan	OM
Pashto, Pushto	PS
Persian	FA
Polish	PL
Portuguese	PT
Punjabi	PA
Quechua	QU
Rhaeto-Romance	RM
Romanian	RO
Russian	RU
Samoan	SM
Sangro	SG
Sanskrit	SA
Serbian	SR
Serbo-Croatian	SH
Sesotho	ST
Setswana	TN
Shona	SN
Sindhi	SD
Singhalese	SI
Siswati	SS
Slovak	SK
Slovenian	SL
Somali	SO
Spanish	ES
Sudanese	SU
Swahili	SW
Swedish	SV
Tagalog	TL
Tajik	TG
Tamil	TA
Tatar	TT
Tegulu	TE
Thai	TH
Tibetan	BO
Tigrinya	TI
Tonga	TO
Tsonga	TS
Turkish	TR
Turkmen	TK
Twi	TW
Ukrainian	UK
Urdu	UR
Uzbek	UZ
Vietnamese	VI
Volapuk	VO
Welsh	CY
Wolof	WO
Xhosa	XH
Yiddish	JI
Yoruba	YO
Zulu	ZU

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about ISO Language Codes

What are ISO language codes?

ISO language codes are standardized codes that represent languages and language families. These codes are defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and are used internationally to identify languages in various contexts.

Why are ISO language codes important?

ISO language codes provide a consistent and standardized way to represent languages across different systems, databases, and applications. They enable accurate language identification, data organization, and multilingual support.

What is the format of an ISO language code?

An ISO language code typically consists of two or three lowercase letters that represent the language. For example, “en” stands for English, “fr” for French, and “es” for Spanish.

Are there different types of ISO language codes?

Yes, there are two main types of ISO language codes: ISO 639-1 and ISO 639-2. ISO 639-1 codes consist of two-letter codes, while ISO 639-2 codes can be two or three letters. Additionally, there’s ISO 639-3, which includes codes for individual languages and distinct dialects.

What is ISO 639-1?

ISO 639-1 is the first part of the ISO 639 standard. It defines two-letter codes for a wide range of languages. These codes are often used in contexts where brevity is important, such as in URLs, domain names, and language tags.

When is ISO 639-2 used?

ISO 639-2 is used when more granularity is needed in language classification. It provides both two-letter and three-letter codes, accommodating a larger set of languages and variations. ISO 639-2 codes are commonly used in libraries, archives, and other academic or cultural contexts.

What is ISO 639-3?

ISO 639-3 is an extension of the ISO 639 standard and provides codes for individual languages and distinct dialects. It aims to cover the full range of known languages worldwide. ISO 639-3 codes are used for linguistic research, documentation, and preservation efforts.

How are ISO language codes assigned?

ISO language codes are assigned based on language names, dialects, and linguistic variations. The ISO 639 Maintenance Agency is responsible for maintaining and updating the standard. The codes often reflect the English or native name of the language.

Can ISO language codes change over time?

Yes, ISO language codes can change due to linguistic research, language evolution, or corrections. The ISO 639 standard is periodically updated to reflect these changes and additions.

Are there any limitations to ISO language codes?

While ISO language codes cover a wide range of languages, there are cases where certain languages or dialects may not have a specific code. Additionally, language codes might not fully encompass regional variations or unique linguistic characteristics.

Can ISO language codes be used in programming?

Yes, ISO language codes are commonly used in programming to implement multilingual features, such as internationalization and localization. They help developers identify and display content in the user’s preferred language.

Are there resources available to look up ISO language codes?

Yes, the official ISO 639 website provides a list of registered language codes. Online databases, libraries, and programming frameworks often include tools for looking up and using ISO language codes in various applications.

Can ISO language codes be used for dialects or regional variations?

Yes, ISO 639-3 codes can be used to identify distinct dialects or regional variations. However, not all dialects have unique codes, and sometimes more specific identifiers are used when needed.

How can I contribute to the ISO language code standard?

The ISO 639 standard is maintained by the ISO 639 Maintenance Agency, which includes experts in linguistics and language classification. If you’re an expert in linguistics, you can contact the agency to contribute to the standard’s development and updates.