In this series of articles we overview languages present in any given country. This time we are looking at the languages spoken in Brunei
The biggest languages present in Brunei include:
- Malay – 262 thousand speakers
- English – 140 thousand speakers
- Chinese – 44 thousand speakers
The sole official language of the country is Malay.
Below you will find summaries for the languages supported by our translation services.
English
English is a Germanic language, which is a branch of the Indo-European language family. It has no country-wide official status in Brunei.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 1.15 billion |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | English alphabet |
| Major English-speaking populations in: | 35 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
There are major English-speaking populations in more than 30 countries of the world. Examples of countries, where English has a major presence, include:
- Bangladesh
- Italy
- New Zealand
- Australia
Around 32% of the population of Brunei speak English.
Writing
The English alphabet is used for writing the English language. It employs the standard version of the script with no additional, language-specific symbols.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Bruneian market via the English language, you might be interested in the following services:
Chinese
Chinese is a Sinitic language, which is a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It has no country-wide official status in Brunei.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 1.20 billion |
|---|---|
| Language family | Sino-Tibetan |
| Writing | Hanzi logograms |
| Major Chinese-speaking populations in: | 6 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
Approximately 1.20 billion people in more than 6 countries speak Chinese as either the first or a second language. With regard to the number of speakers, the most notable 3 countries are China, Taiwan, and Singapore.
In Brunei approximately 10% or 44 thousand people use Chinese in their day-to-day communication.
Writing
The Hanzi logograms is used for writing the Chinese language. It employs the standard version of the script with no additional, language-specific symbols.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Bruneian market via the Chinese language, you might be interested in the following services:
- Chinese Document Translation
- Chinese Desktop Publishing and InDesign Translation
- Chinese E-Commerce Translation
Related services
We hope you have found the answers to the question about what languages are spoken in Brunei“. If you wish to know more about these languages or would like to inquire about our translation services, please contact us at [email protected].
