ISO 639-2 Language Code List
List of all ISO 639-2 language codes
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The ISO 639-2 is an international standard that defines codes that uniquely represent language names. It uses a three-letter code set and currently supports over 490 languages. This standard was developed in response to the limitations of ISO 639-1, which was not sufficient to cover all language requirements for bibliographic and terminology purposes. Language codes from ISO 639-2 were initially designed for use by libraries, information services, and publishers to denote languages during the exchange of information. However, today they are also widely used in computerized systems. Since its inception, the standard has undergone multiple revisions and is still periodically maintained.
Typical applications of these language codes include cataloging in libraries, organizing content in information systems by language, language identification in publishing, use as language identifiers in software localization, and acting as shorthand for longer language names.
ISO 639-2 Language Code List
The language code table is shown below.
| ISO Codesorted ascending | Language | Scripts | Text Direction | Plural Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
aar | Afar | Left-to-Right | ||
abk | Abkhazian | Left-to-Right | ||
ace | Achinese | Left-to-Right | ||
ach | Acoli | Left-to-Right | ||
ada | Adangme | Left-to-Right | ||
ady | Adygei, Adyghe | Left-to-Right | ||
afa | Afro-Asiatic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
afh | Afrihili | Left-to-Right | ||
afr | Afrikaans | Left-to-Right | ||
ain | Ainu (Japan) | Left-to-Right | ||
aka | Akan | Left-to-Right | ||
akk | Akkadian | Left-to-Right | ||
alb | Albanian (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
ale | Aleut | Left-to-Right | ||
alg | Algonquian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
alt | Southern Altai | Left-to-Right | ||
amh | Amharic | Left-to-Right | ||
ang | Old English (ca. 450-1100) | Left-to-Right | ||
anp | Angika | Left-to-Right | ||
apa | Apache languages | Left-to-Right | ||
ara | Arabic | Right-to-Left | ||
arc | Imperial Aramaic (700-300 BCE), Official Aramaic (700-300 BCE) | Right-to-Left | ||
arg | Aragonese | Left-to-Right | ||
arm | Armenian (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
arn | Mapuche, Mapudungun | Left-to-Right | ||
arp | Arapaho | Left-to-Right | ||
art | Artificial languages | Left-to-Right | ||
arw | Arawak | Left-to-Right | ||
asm | Assamese | Left-to-Right | ||
ast | Asturian, Asturleonese, Bable, Leonese | Left-to-Right | ||
ath | Athapascan languages | Left-to-Right | ||
aus | Australian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
ava | Avaric | Left-to-Right | ||
ave | Avestan | Left-to-Right | ||
awa | Awadhi | Left-to-Right | ||
aym | Aymara | Left-to-Right | ||
aze | Azerbaijani | Left-to-Right | ||
bad | Banda languages | Left-to-Right | ||
bai | Bamileke languages | Left-to-Right | ||
bak | Bashkir | Left-to-Right | ||
bal | Baluchi | Right-to-Left | ||
bam | Bambara | Left-to-Right | ||
ban | Balinese | Left-to-Right | ||
baq | Basque (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
bas | Basa (Cameroon) | Left-to-Right | ||
bat | Baltic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
bej | Bedawiyet, Beja | Left-to-Right | ||
bel | Belarusian | Left-to-Right | ||
bem | Bemba (Zambia) | Left-to-Right | ||
ben | Bengali | Left-to-Right | ||
ber | Berber languages | Left-to-Right | ||
bho | Bhojpuri | Left-to-Right | ||
bih | Bihari languages | Left-to-Right | ||
bik | Bikol | Left-to-Right | ||
bin | Bini, Edo | Left-to-Right | ||
bis | Bislama | Left-to-Right | ||
bla | Siksika | Left-to-Right | ||
bnt | Bantu languages | Left-to-Right | ||
bod | Tibetan (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
bos | Bosnian | Left-to-Right | ||
bra | Braj | Left-to-Right | ||
bre | Breton | Left-to-Right | ||
btk | Batak languages | Left-to-Right | ||
bua | Buriat | Left-to-Right | ||
bug | Buginese | Left-to-Right | ||
bul | Bulgarian | Left-to-Right | ||
bur | Burmese (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
byn | Bilin, Blin | Left-to-Right | ||
cad | Caddo | Left-to-Right | ||
cai | Central American Indian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
car | Galibi Carib | Left-to-Right | ||
cat | Catalan, Valencian | Left-to-Right | ||
cau | Caucasian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
ceb | Cebuano | Left-to-Right | ||
cel | Celtic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
ces | Czech (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
cha | Chamorro | Left-to-Right | ||
chb | Chibcha | Left-to-Right | ||
che | Chechen | Left-to-Right | ||
chg | Chagatai | Left-to-Right | ||
chi | Chinese (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
chk | Chuukese | Left-to-Right | ||
chm | Mari (Russia) | Left-to-Right | ||
chn | Chinook jargon | Left-to-Right | ||
cho | Choctaw | Left-to-Right | ||
chp | Chipewyan, Dene Suline | Left-to-Right | ||
chr | Cherokee | Left-to-Right | ||
chu | Church Slavic, Church Slavonic, Old Bulgarian, Old Church Slavonic, Old Slavonic | Left-to-Right | ||
chv | Chuvash | Left-to-Right | ||
chy | Cheyenne | Left-to-Right | ||
cmc | Chamic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
cnr | Montenegrin | Left-to-Right | ||
cop | Coptic | Left-to-Right | ||
cor | Cornish | Left-to-Right | ||
cos | Corsican | Left-to-Right | ||
cpe | English based creoles and pidgins | Left-to-Right | ||
cpf | French-based creoles and pidgins | Left-to-Right | ||
cpp | Portuguese-based creoles and pidgins | Left-to-Right | ||
cre | Cree | Left-to-Right | ||
crh | Crimean Tatar, Crimean Turkish | Left-to-Right | ||
crp | Creoles and pidgins | Left-to-Right | ||
csb | Kashubian | Left-to-Right | ||
cus | Cushitic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
cym | Welsh (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
cze | Czech (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
dak | Dakota | Left-to-Right | ||
dan | Danish | Left-to-Right | ||
dar | Dargwa | Left-to-Right | ||
day | Land Dayak languages | Left-to-Right | ||
del | Delaware | Left-to-Right | ||
den | Slave (Athapascan) | Left-to-Right | ||
deu | German (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
dgr | Dogrib, Tłı̨chǫ | Left-to-Right | ||
din | Dinka | Left-to-Right | ||
div | Dhivehi, Divehi, Maldivian | Right-to-Left | ||
doi | Dogri (macrolanguage) | Left-to-Right | ||
dra | Dravidian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
dsb | Lower Sorbian | Left-to-Right | ||
dua | Duala | Left-to-Right | ||
dum | Middle Dutch (ca. 1050-1350) | Left-to-Right | ||
dut | Dutch, Flemish (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
dyu | Dyula | Left-to-Right | ||
dzo | Dzongkha | Left-to-Right | ||
efi | Efik | Left-to-Right | ||
egy | Egyptian (Ancient) | Left-to-Right | ||
eka | Ekajuk | Left-to-Right | ||
ell | Modern Greek (1453-) (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
elx | Elamite | Left-to-Right | ||
eng | English | Left-to-Right | ||
enm | Middle English (1100-1500) | Left-to-Right | ||
epo | Esperanto | Left-to-Right | ||
est | Estonian | Left-to-Right | ||
eus | Basque (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
ewe | Ewe | Left-to-Right | ||
ewo | Ewondo | Left-to-Right | ||
fan | Fang (Equatorial Guinea) | Left-to-Right | ||
fao | Faroese | Left-to-Right | ||
fas | Persian (Terminology) | Right-to-Left | ||
fat | Fanti | Left-to-Right | ||
fij | Fijian | Left-to-Right | ||
fil | Filipino, Pilipino | Left-to-Right | ||
fin | Finnish | Left-to-Right | ||
fon | Fon | Left-to-Right | ||
fra | French (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
fre | French (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
frm | Middle French (ca. 1400-1600) | Left-to-Right | ||
fro | Old French (842-ca. 1400) | Left-to-Right | ||
frr | Northern Frisian | Left-to-Right | ||
frs | Eastern Frisian | Left-to-Right | ||
fry | Western Frisian | Left-to-Right | ||
ful | Fulah | Left-to-Right | ||
fur | Friulian | Left-to-Right | ||
gaa | Ga | Left-to-Right | ||
gay | Gayo | Left-to-Right | ||
gba | Gbaya (Central African Republic) | Left-to-Right | ||
gem | Germanic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
geo | Georgian (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
ger | German (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
gez | Geez | Left-to-Right | ||
gil | Gilbertese | Left-to-Right | ||
gla | Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic | Left-to-Right | ||
gle | Irish | Left-to-Right | ||
glg | Galician | Left-to-Right | ||
glv | Manx | Left-to-Right | ||
gmh | Middle High German (ca. 1050-1500) | Left-to-Right | ||
goh | Old High German (ca. 750-1050) | Left-to-Right | ||
gon | Gondi | Left-to-Right | ||
gor | Gorontalo | Left-to-Right | ||
got | Gothic | Left-to-Right | ||
grb | Grebo | Left-to-Right | ||
grc | Ancient Greek (to 1453) | Left-to-Right | ||
gre | Modern Greek (1453-) (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
grn | Guarani | Left-to-Right | ||
gsw | Alemannic, Alsatian, Swiss German | Left-to-Right | ||
guj | Gujarati | Left-to-Right | ||
gwi | Gwichʼin | Left-to-Right | ||
hai | Haida | Left-to-Right | ||
hat | Haitian, Haitian Creole | Left-to-Right | ||
hau | Hausa | Right-to-Left | ||
haw | Hawaiian | Left-to-Right | ||
heb | Hebrew | Right-to-Left | ||
her | Herero | Left-to-Right | ||
hil | Hiligaynon | Left-to-Right | ||
him | Himachali languages, Western Pahari languages | Left-to-Right | ||
hin | Hindi | Left-to-Right | ||
hit | Hittite | Left-to-Right | ||
hmn | Hmong, Mong | Left-to-Right | ||
hmo | Hiri Motu | Left-to-Right | ||
hrv | Croatian | Left-to-Right | ||
hsb | Upper Sorbian | Left-to-Right | ||
hun | Hungarian | Left-to-Right | ||
hup | Hupa | Left-to-Right | ||
hye | Armenian (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
iba | Iban | Left-to-Right | ||
ibo | Igbo | Left-to-Right | ||
ice | Icelandic (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
ido | Ido | Left-to-Right | ||
iii | Nuosu, Sichuan Yi | Left-to-Right | ||
ijo | Ijo languages | Left-to-Right | ||
iku | Inuktitut | Left-to-Right | ||
ile | Interlingue, Occidental | Left-to-Right | ||
ilo | Iloko | Left-to-Right | ||
ina | Interlingua (International Auxiliary Language Association) | Left-to-Right | ||
inc | Indic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
ind | Indonesian | Left-to-Right | ||
ine | Indo-European languages | Left-to-Right | ||
inh | Ingush | Left-to-Right | ||
ipk | Inupiaq | Left-to-Right | ||
ira | Iranian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
iro | Iroquoian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
isl | Icelandic (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
ita | Italian | Left-to-Right | ||
jav | Javanese | Left-to-Right | ||
jbo | Lojban | Left-to-Right | ||
jpn | Japanese | Left-to-Right | ||
jpr | Judeo-Persian | Right-to-Left | ||
jrb | Judeo-Arabic | Right-to-Left | ||
kaa | Kara-Kalpak, Karakalpak | Left-to-Right | ||
kab | Kabyle | Left-to-Right | ||
kac | Jingpho, Kachin | Left-to-Right | ||
kal | Greenlandic, Kalaallisut | Left-to-Right | ||
kam | Kamba (Kenya) | Left-to-Right | ||
kan | Kannada | Left-to-Right | ||
kar | Karen languages | Left-to-Right | ||
kas | Kashmiri | Right-to-Left | ||
kat | Georgian (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
kau | Kanuri | Left-to-Right | ||
kaw | Kawi | Left-to-Right | ||
kaz | Kazakh | Left-to-Right | ||
kbd | Kabardian | Left-to-Right | ||
kha | Khasi | Left-to-Right | ||
khi | Khoisan languages | Left-to-Right | ||
khm | Central Khmer, Khmer | Left-to-Right | ||
kho | Khotanese, Sakan | Left-to-Right | ||
kik | Gikuyu, Kikuyu | Left-to-Right | ||
kin | Kinyarwanda | Left-to-Right | ||
kir | Kirghiz, Kyrgyz | Left-to-Right | ||
kmb | Kimbundu | Left-to-Right | ||
kok | Konkani (macrolanguage) | Left-to-Right | ||
kom | Komi | Left-to-Right | ||
kon | Kongo | Left-to-Right | ||
kor | Korean | Left-to-Right | ||
kos | Kosraean | Left-to-Right | ||
kpe | Kpelle | Left-to-Right | ||
krc | Karachay-Balkar | Left-to-Right | ||
krl | Karelian | Left-to-Right | ||
kro | Kru languages | Left-to-Right | ||
kru | Kurukh | Left-to-Right | ||
kua | Kuanyama, Kwanyama | Left-to-Right | ||
kum | Kumyk | Left-to-Right | ||
kur | Kurdish | Right-to-Left | ||
kut | Kutenai | Left-to-Right | ||
lad | Ladino | Left-to-Right | ||
lah | Lahnda | Left-to-Right | ||
lam | Lamba | Left-to-Right | ||
lao | Lao | Left-to-Right | ||
lat | Latin | Left-to-Right | ||
lav | Latvian | Left-to-Right | ||
lez | Lezghian | Left-to-Right | ||
lim | Limburgan, Limburger, Limburgish | Left-to-Right | ||
lin | Lingala | Left-to-Right | ||
lit | Lithuanian | Left-to-Right | ||
lol | Mongo | Left-to-Right | ||
loz | Lozi | Left-to-Right | ||
ltz | Letzeburgesch, Luxembourgish | Left-to-Right | ||
lua | Luba-Lulua | Left-to-Right | ||
lub | Luba-Katanga | Left-to-Right | ||
lug | Ganda | Left-to-Right | ||
lui | Luiseno | Left-to-Right | ||
lun | Lunda | Left-to-Right | ||
luo | Dholuo, Luo (Kenya and Tanzania) | Left-to-Right | ||
lus | Lushai | Left-to-Right | ||
mac | Macedonian (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
mad | Madurese | Left-to-Right | ||
mag | Magahi | Left-to-Right | ||
mah | Marshallese | Left-to-Right | ||
mai | Maithili | Left-to-Right | ||
mak | Makasar | Left-to-Right | ||
mal | Malayalam | Left-to-Right | ||
man | Manding, Mandingo | Left-to-Right | ||
mao | Maori (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
map | Austronesian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
mar | Marathi | Left-to-Right | ||
mas | Masai | Left-to-Right | ||
may | Malay (macrolanguage) (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
mdf | Moksha | Left-to-Right | ||
mdr | Mandar | Left-to-Right | ||
men | Mende (Sierra Leone) | Left-to-Right | ||
mga | Middle Irish (900-1200) | Left-to-Right | ||
mic | Mi'kmaq, Micmac | Left-to-Right | ||
min | Minangkabau | Left-to-Right | ||
mis | Uncoded languages | Left-to-Right | ||
mkd | Macedonian (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
mkh | Mon-Khmer languages | Left-to-Right | ||
mlg | Malagasy | Left-to-Right | ||
mlt | Maltese | Left-to-Right | ||
mnc | Manchu | Left-to-Right | ||
mni | Manipuri | Left-to-Right | ||
mno | Manobo languages | Left-to-Right | ||
moh | Mohawk | Left-to-Right | ||
mon | Mongolian | Left-to-Right | ||
mos | Mossi | Left-to-Right | ||
mri | Maori (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
msa | Malay (macrolanguage) (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
mul | Multiple languages | Left-to-Right | ||
mun | Munda languages | Left-to-Right | ||
mus | Creek | Left-to-Right | ||
mwl | Mirandese | Left-to-Right | ||
mwr | Marwari | Left-to-Right | ||
mya | Burmese (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
myn | Mayan languages | Left-to-Right | ||
myv | Erzya | Left-to-Right | ||
nah | Nahuatl languages | Left-to-Right | ||
nai | North American Indian | Left-to-Right | ||
nap | Neapolitan | Left-to-Right | ||
nau | Nauru | Left-to-Right | ||
nav | Navaho, Navajo | Left-to-Right | ||
nbl | South Ndebele | Left-to-Right | ||
nde | North Ndebele | Left-to-Right | ||
ndo | Ndonga | Left-to-Right | ||
nds | Low German, Low Saxon | Left-to-Right | ||
nep | Nepali (macrolanguage) | Left-to-Right | ||
new | Nepal Bhasa, Newari | Left-to-Right | ||
nia | Nias | Left-to-Right | ||
nic | Niger-Kordofanian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
niu | Niuean | Left-to-Right | ||
nld | Dutch, Flemish (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
nno | Norwegian Nynorsk | Left-to-Right | ||
nob | Norwegian Bokmål | Left-to-Right | ||
nog | Nogai | Left-to-Right | ||
non | Old Norse | Left-to-Right | ||
nor | Norwegian | Left-to-Right | ||
nqo | N'Ko | Right-to-Left | ||
nso | Northern Sotho, Pedi, Sepedi | Left-to-Right | ||
nub | Nubian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
nwc | Classical Nepal Bhasa, Classical Newari, Old Newari | Left-to-Right | ||
nya | Chewa, Chichewa, Nyanja | Left-to-Right | ||
nym | Nyamwezi | Left-to-Right | ||
nyn | Nyankole | Left-to-Right | ||
nyo | Nyoro | Left-to-Right | ||
nzi | Nzima | Left-to-Right | ||
oci | Occitan (post 1500) | Left-to-Right | ||
oji | Ojibwa | Left-to-Right | ||
ori | Oriya (macrolanguage) | Left-to-Right | ||
orm | Oromo | Left-to-Right | ||
osa | Osage | Left-to-Right | ||
oss | Ossetian, Ossetic | Left-to-Right | ||
ota | Ottoman Turkish (1500-1928) | Right-to-Left | ||
oto | Otomian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
paa | Papuan languages | Left-to-Right | ||
pag | Pangasinan | Left-to-Right | ||
pal | Pahlavi | Left-to-Right | ||
pam | Kapampangan, Pampanga | Left-to-Right | ||
pan | Panjabi, Punjabi | Left-to-Right | ||
pap | Papiamento | Left-to-Right | ||
pau | Palauan | Left-to-Right | ||
peo | Old Persian (ca. 600-400 B.C.) | Left-to-Right | ||
per | Persian (Bibliographic) | Right-to-Left | ||
phi | Philippine languages | Left-to-Right | ||
phn | Phoenician | Left-to-Right | ||
pli | Pali | Left-to-Right | ||
pol | Polish | Left-to-Right | ||
pon | Pohnpeian | Left-to-Right | ||
por | Portuguese | Left-to-Right | ||
pra | Prakrit languages | Left-to-Right | ||
pro | Old Occitan (to 1500), Old Provençal (to 1500) | Left-to-Right | ||
pus | Pashto, Pushto | Right-to-Left | ||
que | Quechua | Left-to-Right | ||
raj | Rajasthani | Left-to-Right | ||
rap | Rapanui | Left-to-Right | ||
rar | Cook Islands Maori, Rarotongan | Left-to-Right | ||
roa | Romance languages | Left-to-Right | ||
roh | Romansh | Left-to-Right | ||
rom | Romany | Left-to-Right | ||
ron | Moldavian, Moldovan, Romanian (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
rum | Moldavian, Moldovan, Romanian (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
run | Rundi | Left-to-Right | ||
rup | Aromanian, Arumanian, Macedo-Romanian | Left-to-Right | ||
rus | Russian | Left-to-Right | ||
sad | Sandawe | Left-to-Right | ||
sag | Sango | Left-to-Right | ||
sah | Yakut | Left-to-Right | ||
sai | South American Indian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
sal | Salishan languages | Left-to-Right | ||
sam | Samaritan Aramaic | Right-to-Left | ||
san | Sanskrit | Left-to-Right | ||
sas | Sasak | Left-to-Right | ||
sat | Santali | Left-to-Right | ||
scn | Sicilian | Left-to-Right | ||
sco | Scots | Left-to-Right | ||
sel | Selkup | Left-to-Right | ||
sem | Semitic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
sga | Old Irish (to 900) | Left-to-Right | ||
sgn | Sign Languages | Left-to-Right | ||
shn | Shan | Left-to-Right | ||
sid | Sidamo | Left-to-Right | ||
sin | Sinhala, Sinhalese | Left-to-Right | ||
sio | Siouan languages | Left-to-Right | ||
sit | Sino-Tibetan languages | Left-to-Right | ||
sla | Slavic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
slk | Slovak (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
slo | Slovak (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
slv | Slovenian | Left-to-Right | ||
sma | Southern Sami | Left-to-Right | ||
sme | Northern Sami | Left-to-Right | ||
smi | Sami languages | Left-to-Right | ||
smj | Lule Sami | Left-to-Right | ||
smn | Inari Sami | Left-to-Right | ||
smo | Samoan | Left-to-Right | ||
sms | Skolt Sami | Left-to-Right | ||
sna | Shona | Left-to-Right | ||
snd | Sindhi | Right-to-Left | ||
snk | Soninke | Left-to-Right | ||
sog | Sogdian | Left-to-Right | ||
som | Somali | Left-to-Right | ||
son | Songhai languages | Left-to-Right | ||
sot | Southern Sotho | Left-to-Right | ||
spa | Castilian, Spanish | Left-to-Right | ||
sqi | Albanian (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
srd | Sardinian | Left-to-Right | ||
srn | Sranan Tongo | Left-to-Right | ||
srp | Serbian | Left-to-Right | ||
srr | Serer | Left-to-Right | ||
ssa | Nilo-Saharan languages | Left-to-Right | ||
ssw | Swati | Left-to-Right | ||
suk | Sukuma | Left-to-Right | ||
sun | Sundanese | Left-to-Right | ||
sus | Susu | Left-to-Right | ||
sux | Sumerian | Left-to-Right | ||
swa | Swahili (macrolanguage) | Left-to-Right | ||
swe | Swedish | Left-to-Right | ||
syc | Classical Syriac | Left-to-Right | ||
syr | Syriac | Right-to-Left | ||
tah | Tahitian | Left-to-Right | ||
tai | Tai languages | Left-to-Right | ||
tam | Tamil | Left-to-Right | ||
tat | Tatar | Left-to-Right | ||
tel | Telugu | Left-to-Right | ||
tem | Timne | Left-to-Right | ||
ter | Tereno | Left-to-Right | ||
tet | Tetum | Left-to-Right | ||
tgk | Tajik | Left-to-Right | ||
tgl | Tagalog | Left-to-Right | ||
tha | Thai | Left-to-Right | ||
tib | Tibetan (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
tig | Tigre | Left-to-Right | ||
tir | Tigrinya | Left-to-Right | ||
tiv | Tiv | Left-to-Right | ||
tkl | Tokelau | Left-to-Right | ||
tlh | Klingon, tlhIngan Hol, tlhIngan-Hol | Left-to-Right | ||
tli | Tlingit | Left-to-Right | ||
tmh | Tamashek | Left-to-Right | ||
tog | Tonga (Nyasa) | Left-to-Right | ||
ton | Tonga (Tonga Islands) | Left-to-Right | ||
tpi | Tok Pisin | Left-to-Right | ||
tsi | Tsimshian | Left-to-Right | ||
tsn | Tswana | Left-to-Right | ||
tso | Tsonga | Left-to-Right | ||
tuk | Turkmen | Left-to-Right | ||
tum | Tumbuka | Left-to-Right | ||
tup | Tupi languages | Left-to-Right | ||
tur | Turkish | Left-to-Right | ||
tut | Altaic languages | Left-to-Right | ||
tvl | Tuvalu | Left-to-Right | ||
twi | Twi | Left-to-Right | ||
tyv | Tuvinian | Left-to-Right | ||
udm | Udmurt | Left-to-Right | ||
uga | Ugaritic | Left-to-Right | ||
uig | Uighur, Uyghur | Left-to-Right | ||
ukr | Ukrainian | Left-to-Right | ||
umb | Umbundu | Left-to-Right | ||
und | Undetermined | Left-to-Right | ||
urd | Urdu | Right-to-Left | ||
uzb | Uzbek | Left-to-Right | ||
vai | Vai | Left-to-Right | ||
ven | Venda | Left-to-Right | ||
vie | Vietnamese | Left-to-Right | ||
vol | Volapük | Left-to-Right | ||
vot | Votic | Left-to-Right | ||
wak | Wakashan languages | Left-to-Right | ||
wal | Wolaitta, Wolaytta | Left-to-Right | ||
war | Waray (Philippines) | Left-to-Right | ||
was | Washo | Left-to-Right | ||
wel | Welsh (Bibliographic) | Left-to-Right | ||
wen | Sorbian languages | Left-to-Right | ||
wln | Walloon | Left-to-Right | ||
wol | Wolof | Left-to-Right | ||
xal | Kalmyk, Oirat | Left-to-Right | ||
xho | Xhosa | Left-to-Right | ||
yao | Yao | Left-to-Right | ||
yap | Yapese | Left-to-Right | ||
yid | Yiddish | Right-to-Left | ||
yor | Yoruba | Left-to-Right | ||
ypk | Yupik languages | Left-to-Right | ||
zap | Zapotec | Left-to-Right | ||
zbl | Bliss, Blissymbolics, Blissymbols | Left-to-Right | ||
zen | Zenaga | Left-to-Right | ||
zgh | Standard Moroccan Tamazight | Left-to-Right | ||
zha | Chuang, Zhuang | Left-to-Right | ||
zho | Chinese (Terminology) | Left-to-Right | ||
znd | Zande languages | Left-to-Right | ||
zul | Zulu | Left-to-Right | ||
zun | Zuni | Left-to-Right | ||
zxx | No linguistic content, Not applicable | Left-to-Right | ||
zza | Dimili, Dimli (macrolanguage), Kirdki, Kirmanjki (macrolanguage), Zaza, Zazaki | Left-to-Right |
Are the ISO 639-2 language codes case sensitive?
The ISO 639-2 language codes should be considered case-insensitive, but they are typically presented in lowercase.
What are the differences between the terminology and bibliographic codes in the ISO 639-2 standard?
In the ISO 639-2 standard, most languages use the same code for both terminology and bibliographic purposes. However, 20 languages have different codes. The reason for this difference is that libraries historically used certain naming practices, which are different from the newer naming styles we see today. While older library traditions influence bibliographic codes, the codes used for terminology are more modern, often similar to the ISO 639-1 two-letter codes. To avoid major issues when updating vast numbers of library records worldwide, some languages have alternate codes.
Example:dut – Dutch (Bibliographic)nld – Dutch (Terminology)
Does ISO 639-2 cover the same set of languages as ISO 639-1?
No, ISO 639-1 and ISO 639-2 represent different sets of languages. While ISO 639-1 uses two-letter codes for over 180 languages, ISO 639-2 uses three-letter codes, encompassing more than 490 languages. ISO 639-2 incorporates all the languages from ISO 639-1 and additionally includes a broader array of languages, families, and groups not specified in ISO 639-1. Hence, ISO 639-2 has a more extensive reach.
How does ISO 639-2 standard categorize languages based on their scope?
The ISO 639-2 standard classifies languages into four scopes:
- Individual languages: Representing a single language, like English or Spanish.
- Macrolanguages: Covering multiple related languages, such as Chinese which encompasses Mandarin and Cantonese.
- Collections of languages: Groupings of related languages not classified elsewhere, like the 'Bantu languages'.
- Special situations: Codes for unique content types, including undetermined or multiple languages.
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