List of languages by writing system
From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki
Below is a list of languages sorted by writing system (by alphabetical order).
Adlam alphabet
Afaka syllabary
- Ndyuka (on occasion)
Anatolian alphabets
- Anatolian languages (extinct)
Arabic script
- Acehnese (on occasion, after the colonization by the Dutch)
- Adyghe (before 1927 and Latin script [1927–1938], now uses the Cyrillic script)
- Afrikaans (briefly, in the early 19th century)
- Arabic
and many other varieties of Arabic.
- Afar (Kabir Hamza script)
- Arakanese (Only by the Muslims)
- Azerbaijani (Iran only)
- Arwi
- Bakhtiari
- Balochi
- Balti
- Banjar
- Bashkir
- Belarusian (on occasion)
- Bengali (Historical) (along with Bengali, Sylheti and Assamese script)
- Berber
- Bhadarwahi
- Bosnian (formerly)
- Brahui
- Burushaski (on occasion)
- Central Kurdish
- Cham
- Chechen (alongside the Georgian script)
- Chinese in the Arabic-derived Xiao'erjing alphabet
- Chittagonian
- Comorian
- Crimean Tatar (before 1928)
- Dari
- Dungan (now uses the Cyrillic script)
- Dogri (also uses Devanāgarī in India and Takri script)
- Dyula
- French in Algeria and other parts of North Africa during the French colonial period.
- Filipino used by Muslims from the 14th century to the 16th century, now the Arabic script for Filipino is extinct and is replaced by Spanish in Latin script, which uses the letter Ñ as an extra letter.
- Fulani (on occasion)
- Gilaki
- Greek (on occasion in certain areas of Greece and Anatolia)
- Harari (originally, now uses the Ge'ez script)
- Hausa (on occasion)
- Ingush (at the beginning of the 20th century)
- Javanese (see Pegon alphabet)
- Jola-Fonyi
- Judeo-Arabic languages
- Judaeo-Spanish (until the 20th century)
- Kanuri (on occasion)
- Karakalpak (before 1928)
- Kashmiri
- Kazakh in China
- Khowar
- Kurdish (Iran and Iraq)
- Kyrgyz
- Lak (now uses the Cyrillic script)
- Lezgin
- Luri
- Madurese (with the Pegon alphabet)
- Malagasy (until the 19th century)
- Malay (14th – 20th century)
- Mandinka
- Marwari (Pakistan)
- Mazanderani
- Minangkabau
- Mozarabic (now extinct)
- Nobiin (alongside Latin script)
- Nogai (before 1928 and Latin [1928–1938], now uses the Cyrillic)
- Ottoman Turkish (extinct)
- Pashto
- Persian (Iran and Afghanistan)
- Punjabi (Pakistan)
- Qashqai
- Rohingya (also uses the Latin script)
- Salar
- Saraiki
- Sindhi
- Somali (see Wadaad's writing)
- Songhay
- Spanish (before 16th century, a.k.a. Aljamiado)
- Swahili (on occasion)
- Tajik (formerly)
- Talysh
- Tatar
- Tausug
- Tuareg
- Turkish (formerly)
- Turkmen (on occasion in Iran and Afghanistan)
- Urdu
- Uyghur
- Uzbek (Formerly, now Cyrillic and Latin are more commonly used)
- Wakhi
- Wolio
- Wolof known as Wolofal
- Yoruba in the 17th century with the Ajami script
- Zarma (formerly)
Aramaic alphabet
- Arabic (see Garshuni)
- Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
- Bohtan Neo-Aramaic
- Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
- Hertevin
- Koy Sanjaq Surat
- Hebrew
- Senaya
- Syriac
- Turoyo (also has new Latin-based script)
- Mongolian
Armenian script
ASL-phabet
- Various sign languages
- American Sign Language (also si5s, SignWriting, and Stokoe notation)
Borama script
- Somali
Brahmic family and derivatives
Bengali–Assamese script
Balinese script
Baybayin script
- Ilokano (formerly)
- Pangasinan (formerly)
- Tagalog (formerly)
- Bikol language (formerly)
- Visayan languages (formerly)
Buhid script
Chakma
Devanagari
- Hindi
- Sanskrit
- Marathi
- Bhojpuri
- Magadhi
- Maithili
- Nepali
- Sindhi (also written in Arabic)
- Konkani (also written in Latin and Kannada)
- Kashmiri (also written in Arabic)
- Bodo
- Dogri
- Santali
- Chhattisgarhi
- Nepal Bhasa (mainly written in Ranjana Script)
Gujarati script
Hanunó'o script
Javanese script (Hanacaraka)
- Javanese
Kaithi script
Kannada script
- Kannada
- Konkani (In Karnataka)
- Tulu
- Kodava
- Badaga (formerly)
- Beary bashe (also written in Latin)
- Sankethi
Khmer script
- Khmer
- Pali
- Sanskrit
Kulitan alphabet
Laṇḍā scripts
Gurmukhi script
- Punjabi (also written in Shahmukhi, a variant of the Arabic script)
Khojki
- Sindhi (formerly)
Khudawadi
- Sindhi (formerly)
Mahajani script
- Punjabi (formerly)
Multani script
- Punjabi (formerly)
Lao script
- Lao
- Pali (since 1930)
Leke script
Lepcha script
Limbu script
Lontara script
Malayalam script
Meitei Mayek
- Meitei (officially known as Manipuri)
Tirhuta/Mithilakshar
- Maithili
Modi
- Marathi (formerly)
Mongolian
Myanmar script
Odia script
'Phags-pa script
- Chinese (formerly)
- Mongolian (formerly)
- Sanskrit (formerly)
- Tibetan (for decorative purposes)
- Uyghur (formerly)
Ranjana
- Nepal Bhasa
Saurashtra
Sinhala script
Sundanese script
Sylhet Nagri script
- Sylheti
- Barman Kachari
- Bengali dialects (historical)
Tagbanwa script
Tamil script
- Tamil
- Badaga
- Irula
- Kanikkaran
- Paniya
- Saurashtra
Telugu script
Thaana script
- Dhivehi (Maldivian)
- Malé Latin
Thai script
- Thai
- Kelantan-Pattani Malay
- Pali (since 1893)
- Sanskrit
Tibetan script
- Tibetan
- Dzongkha
- Ladakhi
- Sikkimese
- Sherpa
- Zhang-Zhung (extinct)
Canadian Aboriginal script
Caucasian Albanian alphabet
- Udi (formerly)
Cherokee script
Coptic alphabet
- Coptic language (extinct, still in use liturgically)
Cyrillic script
- Belarusian (also Latin script in the past)
- Bosnian (also Latin script)
- Bulgarian
- Dungan
- Interslavic (alongside Latin Script)
- Judaeo-Spanish (also Latin script, others)
- Kazakh (to be replaced with Latin script by 2025)
- Kyrgyz
- Macedonian
- Mongolian (also Mongolian script and Latin script)
- Montenegrin (also Latin script in the past)
- Russian
- Serbian (also Latin script, not official)
- Ukrainian
- Persian (Tajikistan and Uzbekistan)
Bosnian Cyrillic alphabet (bosančica)
- Croatian (formerly)
- Bosnian (formerly)
Ge'ez script (Ethiopia and Eritrea)
Georgian script
- Georgian
- Laz (sometimes Latin)
- Mingrelian
- Svan
Glagolitic alphabet
- Old Church Slavonic (extinct, still in use liturgically)
- Croatian (formerly)
Gothic alphabet
- Gothic (extinct)
Greek script
- Greek
- Coptic Egyptian
- Bactrian (extinct)
- Gaulish (extinct) – Written in both Greek and Latin scripts
- Judaeo-Spanish (also Latin script)
- Karamanli Turkish (extinct)
Chinese characters and derivatives
- Sinitic
- Mandarin (Dungan uses Cyrillic alphabet)
- Yue which includes Cantonese
- Wu which includes Shanghainese
- Min which includes Taiwanese (most varieties also use Latin alphabet)
- Xiang
- Hakka
- Gan
- Jin (sometimes considered part of Mandarin)
- Huizhou (sometimes considered part of Wu)
- Ping (sometimes considered part of Yue)
- Minority languages in China
- Dong
- Bai (obsolete)
- Miao (obsolete)
- Zhuang, with Zhuang logograms
- Japanese (kanji plus kana derivative)
- Korean (hanja) (used in academic texts and newspapers along with official documents)
- Vietnamese (Han-Nom) (used in historic or academic texts, or for artistic or aesthetic purposes, but in general use virtually extinct)
- Extinct languages
- Khitan, written in large and small Khitan scripts
- Jurchen, written in Jurchen script
- Tangut, written in Tangut script
Hangul
Hebrew script
- Aramaic (and other writing systems)
- Bukhori
- Hebrew
- Hulaula
- Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialect of Urmia
- Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialect of Zakho
- Judeo-Iraqi Arabic
- Judeo-Moroccan
- Judeo-Tripolitanian Arabic
- Judeo-Tunisian Arabic
- Judeo-Portuguese
- Judeo-Spanish (originally Rashi script, and other writing systems)
- Judeo-Yemenite
- Lishanid Noshan
- Iranian
- Shuadit
- Yiddish
- Zarphatic
Old Italic script
- Italic (extinct)
Kaddare script
- Somali
Kana
- Japanese (plus kanji)
- Ryukyuan (plus kanji)
- Ainu slightly modified variety of katakana, which enable the ability to represent final consonants
Kharosthi
- Kharosthi (extinct)
Khitan scripts
- Khitan (extinct)
Latin script
- Acehnese (also uses the Arabic script)
- Afar (formerly used the Arabic script)
- Afrikaans
- Albanian
- Aragonese
- Asturian
- Aymara
- Azeri (formerly used the Cyrillic script)
- Bai
- Bavarian
- Banjar (also uses the Arabic script)
- Basque
- Belarusian (also uses the Cyrillic script, and occasionally the Lacinka alphabet)
- Betawi
- Berber / Tamazight (Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Niger)
- Bislama
- Boholano (formerly used Baybayin)
- Bosnian (also uses the Cyrillic script)
- Breton
- Catalan
- Cebuano
- Chamorro
- Cherokee (also uses the Cherokee script)
- Cornish
- Corsican
- Croatian
- Cree
- Czech
- Danish
- Dayak
- Dutch
- English
- Esperanto
- Estonian
- Faroese
- Fijian
- Finnish
- French
- Fula (Pulaar)
- Gaelic (Scottish)
- Galician
- German
- Gikuyu
- Guaraní
- Haitian Creole
- Hausa (formerly used the Arabic script)
- Hawaiian
- Hiri Motu
- Hmong
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Ido
- Igbo
- Ilocano (formerly used Baybayin)
- Indonesian
- Interlingua
- Interslavic (together with Cyrillic script)
- Innu-aimun
- Irish
- Italian
- Javanese (also uses the Javanese script)
- Judeo-Spanish (also used other scripts)
- Kabylian Berber
- Khasi (also uses the Bengali script)
- Kazakh (formerly used the Arabic script; used alongside the Cyrillic script)
- Kinyarwanda
- Klingon language (also uses its own fictional writing system)
- Kirundi
- Kongo
- Konkani
- Kurdish (Kurmanji)
- Latin
- Latvian
- Laz
- Leonese
- Lingala
- Lithuanian
- Luganda
- Luxembourgish
- Māori
- Malagasy
- Malay (also uses the Arabic script)
- Maltese
- Manx
- Mapuche
- Marshallese
- Mauritian Creole
- Min (also uses the Chinese characters)
- Minangkabau (also uses the Arabic script)
- Moldovan (also uses the Cyrillic script)
- Montenegrin (also uses the Cyrillic script)
- Nahuatl (after the Spanish conquest)
- Nauruan
- Navaho or Navajo
- Nias
- Ndebele (Northern)
- Ndebele (Southern)
- Ndyuka (used together with the Afaka syllabary)
- North Frisian
- Norwegian
- Occitan
- Oromo (formerly used the Ge'ez script)
- Palauan
- Picard
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Quechua
- Rohingya (formerly used the Arabic script)
- Romanian (formerly used the Romanian Cyrillic alphabet)
- Romansh
- Samoan
- Sardinian
- Sasak
- Saterland Frisian
- Scots
- Serbian (officially uses the Cyrillic script)
- Seychellois creole
- Shona
- Slovak
- Slovene
- Somali (formerly used the Arabic script and the Osmanya script)
- Sotho (Northern)
- Sotho (Southern)
- Spanish
- Sundanese (also uses the Sundanese script)
- Swahili
- Swedish
- Swati
- Tagalog (formerly used Baybayin)
- Tahitian
- Tatar (formerly used the Arabic script, then Janalif, and then the Cyrillic script)
- Tetum
- Tok Pisin
- Toki Pona (also uses two logographic writing systems: [sitelen pona] error: {{lang}}: unrecognized language code: tok (help) and [sitelen sitelen] error: {{lang}}: unrecognized language code: tok (help))
- Tongan
- Tsonga
- Tswana
- Tunisian Arabic (also uses the Arabic script)
- Turkish
- Turkmen (formerly used the Cyrillic script)
- Turoyo (formerly used the Syriac alphabet)
- Uzbek (formerly used the Arabic script and then the Cyrillic script; the latter still in widespread use)
- Venda
- Vietnamese (formerly used Han-Nom)
- Vastese
- Volapük
- Võro
- Walloon
- Welsh
- West Frisian
- Wolof
- Xhosa
- Yoruba
- Zazaki
- Zhuang
- Zulu
Meetei Mayek
- Meitei language (officially known as Manipuri language)
Mesoamerican scripts
Epi-Olmec script
- Olmec (extinct)
Maya script
(Almost extinct although still used in some areas)
- Achi
- Akatek
- Awakatek
- Chicomuceltec (extinct)
- Chontal
- Ch'ol
- Ch'olti' (extinct)
- Ch'orti'
- Chuj
- Huastec
- Itza'
- Ixil
- Jakaltek
- Kaqchikel
- Kaqchikel–Kʼicheʼ
- Kʼicheʼ
- Lacandon
- Mam
- Mocho'
- Mopan
- Poqomam
- Poqomchiʼ
- Q'anjob'al
- Q'eqchi'
- Sakapultek
- Sipakapense
- Tektitek
- Tojolab'al
- Tzeltal
- Tzotzil
- Tz'utujil
- Yucatec
Mixtec script
(Almost extinct although still used in some areas)
Nahuat hieroglyphs
(Now uses Spanish alphabet)
- Nahuatl
Olmec script
- Olmec (extinct)
Zapotec script
- Aloápam Zapotec
- Amatlán Zapotec
- Asunción Mixtepec Zapotec
- Ayoquezco Zapotec
- Cajonos Zapotec
- Chichicápam Zapotec
- Choápam Zapotec
- Coatecas Altas Zapotec
- Santo Domingo Coatlán Zapotec
- El Alto Zapotec
- Elotepec Zapotec
- Guevea Zapotec
- Güilá Zapotec
- Isthmus Zapotec
- Lachiguiri Zapotec
- Lachixío Zapotec
- Lapaguía Zapotec
- Loxicha Zapotec
- Mazaltepec Zapotec
- Miahuatlán Zapotec
- Mitla Zapotec
- San Juan Mixtepec Zapotec
- Ocotlán Zapotec
- Ozolotepec Zapotec
- Petapa Zapotec
- Quiavicuzas Zapotec
- Quioquitani Zapotec
- Rincón Zapotec
- San Agustín Mixtepec Zapotec
- San Baltázar Loxicha Zapotec
- Guelavía Zapotec
- Quiatoni Zapotec
- San Vicente Zapotec
- Santa Catarina Albarradas Zapotec
- Yatzeche Zapotec
- Quiegolani Zapotec
- Xánica Zapotec
- Albarradas Zapotec
- Ixtlán Zapotec
- Yavesía Zapotec
- Rincón Zapotec
- Tabaá Zapotec
- Tejalapan Zapotec
- Texmelucan Zapotec
- Tilquiapan Zapotec
- Tlacolulita Zapotec
- Totomachapan Zapotec
- Xadani Zapotec
- Xanaguía Zapotec
- Yalálag Zapotec
- Ixtlán Zapotec
- Yatee Zapotec
- Yatzachi Zapotec
- San Bartolo Yautepec Zapotec
- Zaachila Zapotec
- Zaniza Zapotec
- Zoogocho Zapotec
Takalik Abaj and Kaminaljuyú scripts
Old Uyghur alphabet
- Uyghur (formerly)
Mongolian script
- Mongolian (also Cyrillic)
Manchu script
Munda scripts
Sorang Sompeng
- Sora
Ol Cemet'
- Santali
Warang Citi
N'Ko script
Naxi script
- Naxi (obsolete)
Nsibidi
Ogham
Osmanya script
- Somali (together with Latin Script)
Pahawh Hmong
- Hmong
Old Permic alphabet
- Komi (formerly)
Runic script
- Proto-Norse inscriptions
- Old Norse (also Latin script)
- Old Danish (also Latin script)
- Old English/Anglo-Saxon (also Latin script)
- Old Frisian (also Latin script)
- Old High German (also Latin script)
- Old Dutch (also Latin script)
si5s
- Various sign languages
- American Sign Language (also ASL-phabet, SignWriting, and Stokoe notation)
SignWriting
- Various sign languages
- American Sign Language (also, ASL-phabet, si5s, and Stokoe notation)
- British Sign Language
- Nicaraguan Sign Language
Stokoe notation
- Various sign languages
- American Sign Language (also, ASL-phabet, si5s, and SignWriting)
Old Turkic script
- Old Turkic language (extinct)
Old Hungarian alphabet
- Hungarian (revived for decorative purposes only. In use: Latin script)
Tifinagh
Yezidi script
Yi script
References
This article "List of languages by writing system" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:List of languages by writing system. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
