India is a very diverse country. Many languages are spoken in India. Although many states have people speaking many different languages due to the migration of people from one state to another state, this article will share the details on the major languages spoken in that particular state.
28 States of India – Major Languages
The major languages spoken in all the 28 states of India are given below
| Assam (Assamese, Bodo) | Karnataka (Kannada) | Bihar (Hindi, Maithili) | Maharashtra (Marathi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meghalaya (Khasi, Garo) | Tamil Nadu (Tamil) | West Bengal (Bengali) | Gujarat (Gujarati) |
| Arunachal Pradesh (Nissi/Dafla, Adi) | Andhra Pradesh (Telugu) | Odisha (Odia) | Rajasthan (Hindi) |
| Nagaland (Konyak, Ao, Sema) | Telangana (Telugu) | Sikkim (Nepali) | Haryana (Hindi) |
| Manipur (Manipuri) | Kerala (Malayalam) | Himachal Pradesh (Hindi) | Punjab (Punjabi) |
| Mizoram (Lushai/Mizo) | Goa (Konkani) | Jharkhand (Hindi) | Uttarakhand (Hindi) |
| Tripura (Bengali) | Madhya Pradesh (Hindi) | Uttar Pradesh (Hindi) | Chhattisgarh (Hindi) |
8 Union Territories of India – Major Languages
The major languages spoken in all the 8 union territories of India are given below
| Jammu & Kashmir (Kashmiri, Hindi, Dogri) | Chandigarh (Hindi) |
|---|---|
| National Capital Territory of Delhi (Hindi) | Puducherry (Tamil) |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Bengali, Hindi, Tamil) | Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli (Gujarati & Hindi in Daman & Diu), (Bhili/Bhilodi, Hindi in Dadra & Nagar Haveli) |
| Ladakh (Ladakhi, Purgi, and Balti) | Lakshadweep (Malayalam) |
Major Languages in India – Important Facts
- According to one estimate, there are 1652 languages in India which are considered to be mother tongues.
- As of today, the Indian constitution recognizes 22 major languages in India which are mentioned in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
- The 22 major languages of India are Sanskrit, Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Kannada, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Santali, Sindhi, and Urdu.
- Originally only 18 languages were included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
- Hindi and English are the official languages of India. As per the Constitution of India, there is no national language because the makers of the Constitution wisely felt that all the languages are important.
- Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi are the top 3 languages in India in terms of the total number of speakers.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1
What are the 22 languages of India?
According to one estimate there are 1652 languages in India which are considered to be mother tongues. As of today, the Indian constitution recognizes 22 major languages in India which are mentioned in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. The 22 major languages of India are Sanskrit, Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Kannada, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Santali, Sindhi, and Urdu.
Q2
What are the two official languages of India?
Hindi and English are the two official languages of India.
Q3
What is the language of Goa?
Konkani is the major language of Goa.
Q4
Is Hindi the national language of India?
Hindi is not India’s national language; it is an official language. India doesn’t have any national language. English and Hindi are majorly used for administrative purposes in the majority of government documents.
Q5
Which Indian language is the best?
All languages are respected by their respective speakers. People would obviously think that the language they speak is the best. Hence, this is a very subjective question. The most spoken languages in India are Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi. Hindi and English are the two official languages in India.
