For most of the competitive entrance exams, candidates must have a good understanding of topics of general awareness. Languages of India is one such topic that applicants must be aware of as mostly all exams include questions related to this topic. For the benefit of our readers, we have curated a list of Indian languages- state-wise, including official and native ones. It is crucial that you memorize the languages of India intently to score well in the general awareness section of the competitive exams.
List Of Indian Languages- State-wise: Overview
India is known for its diversity of cultures, traditions, and languages, which change dramatically within a few km. India currently has 28 states and eight union territories (UTs), and each one represents its own cultural heritage and own dialect. To crack competitive exams, it is essential to learn about the Indian states, their capitals as well as the national, official/scheduled, and native languages of India.
According to the Indian Constitution, India does not have any national language; rather, it has two official languages: Hindi and English, which are used in government works. Indians speak 121 different languages and 270 different native languages, making it one of the world’s most linguistically diverse countries in the world. Because of these many languages, states in India have the authority to legislate their own official language(s). However, the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution acknowledges 22 languages as scheduled that are widely spoken throughout the country’s states.
We have compiled a list of Indian languages- state-wise spoken in India’s 28 states and UTs in this blog and split the list into official language(s) and second official language(s) to make it simple for our readers.
National Language Of India
Because of the country’s cultural diversity, no single language serves as the national language of India. However, the Indian constitution has made both Hindi and English the official languages of the country, allowing them to be used for official purposes throughout the country. That implies, Indian parliament or government offices can only use Hindi or English to conduct their works. While all parliamentary proceedings, correspondence between the Central and State Governments, and administrative works throughout the country are conducted in English.
Scheduled Languages Of India
As per Article 343 of the Indian Constitution, the official language of the Union was Hindi in the Devanagari script. Initially, the Indian Constitution had 14 languages, including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Marathi, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. With time and over several amendments eight more languages; Sindhi, Konkani, Nepali, Manipuri, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali; also got the same privilege. So, the 8th schedule of the Constitution includes 22 scheduled languages.
Official Languages Of States
The Indian Constitution grants each state the authority to designate any language as their official language. The state legislature can adopt by law a language or languages as the official language(s) for all or some of its purposes. Otherwise, English continues to be used for official purposes in the state.
Continue reading to get the complete list of Indian languages- state-wise and union territory-wise, as well as their second official language(s).
List Of Official Languages Of States
| S. N. | State | Official Language | Second Official Language(s) |
| 1. | West Bengal | Bengali and English | Nepali, Urdu, Hindi, Odia, Santali, Rajbanshi, Kurmali, Punajbi, Kamtapuri, Kurukh, and Telugu |
| 2. | Uttarakhand | Hindi | Sanskrit |
| 3. | Uttar Pradesh | Hindi | Urdu |
| 4. | Tripura | Bengali, English, and Kokborok | – |
| 5. | Telangana | Telugu | Urdu |
| 6. | Tamil Nadu | Tamil | English |
| 7. | Sikkim | English, Nepali, Sikkimese, and Lepcha | Gurung, Mukhia, Newari, Rai, Limbu, Magar, Sherpa, and Tamang |
| 8. | Rajasthan | Hindi | – |
| 9. | Punjab | Punjabi | – |
| 10. | Odisha | Odia | – |
| 11. | Nagaland | English | – |
| 12. | Mizoram | Mizo | English and Hindi |
| 13. | Meghalaya | English | Khasi and Garo |
| 14. | Manipur | Manipuri | English |
| 15. | Maharashtra | Marathi | – |
| 16. | Madhya Pradesh | Hindi | – |
| 17. | Kerala | Malayalam | English |
| 18. | Karnataka | Kannada | English |
| 19. | Jharkhand | Hindi | Angika, Bengali, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Bhojpuri, Ho, Kharia, Magahi, Maithili, Mundari, Santali, Nagpuri, Odia, and Urdu |
| 20. | Himachal Pradesh | Hindi | Sanskrit |
| 21. | Haryana | Hindi | English and Punjabi |
| 22. | Gujarat | Gujarati | Hindi |
| 23. | Goa | Konkani and English | Marathi |
| 24. | Chhattisgarh | Hindi | Chhattisgarhi |
| 25. | Bihar | Hindi | Urdu |
| 26. | Assam | Assamese | Bengali and Bodo |
| 27. | Arunachal Pradesh | English | – |
| 28. | Andhra Pradesh | Telugu | English |
List Of Official Languages Of Union Territories
| S.N. | Union Territories | Official Languages | Second Official Language(s) |
| 1. | Puducherry | Tamil, French, and English | Telugu and Malayalam |
| 2. | Lakshadweep | Malayalam | English |
| 3. | Ladakh | Hindi and English | – |
| 4. | Jammu and Kashmir | Kashmiri, Urdu, Dogri, Hindi, and English | – |
| 5. | Delhi | Hindi and English | Urdu and Punjabi |
| 6. | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | Gujarati, Konkani, Marathi, and Hindi | – |
| 7. | Chandigarh | English | – |
| 8. | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Hindi and English | – |
Conclusion
The above-mentioned list of Indian languages- state-wise and union territory-wise include all 22 official languages of India as mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution at the time. We encourage our readers to carefully go through the list and remember all information mentioned in the preceding list to get a good score in the competitive exams.
FAQs:
India does not have any national language. However, there are two official languages of India: Hindi in Devanagari script and English, both of which are used for the government’s official purposes.
The eighth schedule of the Indian constitution has declared 22 languages as official languages of Indian states.
As per the eighth schedule of the Indian constitution, there are 22 official languages of the states of India. In the below-mentioned table, we have included the list of Indian languages- state-wise for your convenience.
Language– Spoken in the States
Urdu- Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Delhi, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh
Telugu- Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Puducherry, and Chhattisgarh
Tamil- Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
Sindhi- Gujarat
Santali- Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Tripura, and Bengal
Sanskrit- Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
Punjabi- Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan
Odia- Odisha
Nepali- Sikkim, West Bengal, and North-eastern states
Marathi- Maharashtra, Goa, Daman & Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Manipuri- Manipur, Assam, Mizoram, and Tripura,
Malayalam- Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep
Maithili- Bihar
Konkani- Goa, Maharashtra, North Karnataka, Kerala, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu
Kashmiri- Kashmir
Kannada- Karnataka
Hindi- Almost every part of the country, especially in North-Central India
Gujarati- Gujarat and Daman & Diu
Dogri- Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab
Bodo- Assam
Bengali- West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, and the Andaman Islands
Assamese- Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
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