What Languages Are Spoken in Brazil?

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Brazil is the largest country in South America, both by area and population. It’s home to the Amazon’s diverse wildlife and ecology and to a diverse group of languages! From European to Asian to Indigenous languages, you’ll find it all in Brazil. 

Because of Brazil’s size and diversity, not all languages are spoken equally across the country. Depending on the region you’re in, you’ll hear different languages and dialects. But there is one language that can take you from border to border: Brazilian Portuguese. 

Table of Contents

How many languages are spoken in Brazil? 

There are over 220 languages (Ethnologue) spoken in Brazil, including 202 living Indigenous languages. Covering all of them here would be a lot, so we’ll just give you the highlights. 

What is the most widely spoken language in Brazil? 

Portuguese is by far the most common language spoken in Brazil, with around 97-99% of the population speaking the language. Portuguese is the 2nd most spoken language in South America due to Brazil’s large population of native speakers, and it’s the 8th most spoken language in the world.

What is the official language of Brazil? 

Portuguese is Brazil’s official language and is used as the primary language in government, education, business, and media. 

Of the nine countries that use Portuguese as an official language, Brazil is the only non-European country and has the highest population of speakers. Brazil is also the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas, as most of Latin America is predominantly Spanish-speaking countries.

The most common second languages spoken in Brazil

The wave of immigrants from Europe and Asia in the early 19th century transformed Brazil into the multicultural and multilingual landscape it is today. Many residents in immigrant communities are bilingual and can speak one of the following languages along with Brazilian Portuguese. 

German (Brazilian German)

There are around 1.06 million German speakers in Brazil, mostly in southern Brazil. Although Italian immigrants outnumber German immigrants by a large margin, the German community has kept its language alive by actively teaching it in schools. Approximately half of Italian immigrant children speak Portuguese at home, while nearly two-thirds of German immigrant children speak German at home. 

Similar to how Brazilians speak their own Portuguese variant, these immigrant communities have also developed their own German dialects. Brazilian German is so deeply influenced by Portuguese and native Brazilian languages that it’s evolved into a unique languages, like Brazilian Hunsrik and Pomeranian German. 

Spanish 

Despite what most people assume, Brazil is not a Spanish-speaking country like many of its neighbors. Though Portuguese and Spanish share many similarities, they are not the same language.

Today, nearly 700,000 Brazilians speak Spanish, with the majority residing along the borders near Spanish-speaking countries. In recent years, Spanish has also been a popular foreign language to learn and has even become a mandatory subject in some schools in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

Italian (Talian)

There are just over 635,000 Italian speakers in Brazil, mostly in immigrant communities of southern Brazil. And—you guessed it!—Brazilians also have their unique Italian dialect, based on the Venetian language. Brazilian Italian even has its own name: Talian. 

Although the Italian immigration wave was more substantial compared to the German influx, the number of Italian speakers significantly declined as they assimilated relatively quickly. While many German children went to German schools, Italian immigrant children went to public schools and learned Portuguese. 

Japanese

Due to Japanese immigration that started in the early 1900s, there is a significant community of Japanese speakers in Brazil, mostly in Paraná and São Paulo. There are nearly 425,000 Japanese speakers in Brazil—only Japan and the US have more! 

Indigenous languages 

Approximately 202 indigenous languages (Ethnologue) are still spoken in Brazil today, and most native speakers reside in northern Brazil. 

Nheengatu, one of the most common native languages, was spoken by the majority of the population until the late 1800s. There have been more efforts to preserve the language in recent years, and it is now an official language in the city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira.

Is English spoken in Brazil? 

Compared to German, Italian, and Spanish, English is not a widely spoken language in Brazil. While most Brazilians don’t speak English fluently, it is the most frequently learned foreign language in Brazil. But the number of English speakers in Brazil is so low, the exact number is not reported on most statistical lists we’ve shared. 

Differences between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese

Brazilians speak their own variant of Portuguese, known as Brazilian Portuguese, which is distinct from the language you hear in Portugal, for example. These conversational Brazilian Portuguese words can help you see the differences. 

Brazilian Portuguese	European Portuguese	English
um sorvete	um gelado	ice cream
um trem	um comboio	train
um banheiro	uma casa de banho	bathroom
um celular	um telemóvel	cellphone
um cafezinho	uma bica	espresso

There are significant differences in vocabulary and pronunciation, but Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese are still mutually intelligible. The relationship between the two can be likened to the difference between American English and British English (or, for the Spanish speakers in the room, the difference between Latin American Spanish and Peninsular Spanish). 

Learn Portuguese for your travels in Brazil 

Brazil is undoubtedly home to a colorful set of languages, but none come close to Brazilian Portuguese in terms of popularity. That’s why learning Brazilian Portuguese is the golden ticket to getting around Brazil and talking to natives with ease. 

Start by learning Portuguese with Rosetta Stone to help you successfully learn everything you need to know—in 10 minutes or less. Plus, Rosetta Stone immerses you in the language and helps you pick up new words and phrases you’ll actually use in conversations.