ron ISO 639
Limba română, româneşte Autonyms
Romanian
Visualizations
A language of Romania
- ISO 639
- ron
- Alternate Names
- Daco-Rumanian, Moldavian, Roumanian, Rumanian
- Autonym
- Limba română, româneşte
- Population
- 18,100,000 in Romania (2018). Total users in all countries: 24,076,420.
- Location
- Widespread.
- Language Maps
- Hungary, Northern Moldova and Northeast Romania, Northwestern Romania, Serbia, Southern Moldova and Southeastern Romania, Southwestern Romania, Ukraine
- Language Status
- 1 (National). Statutory national language (2003, Constitution, Article 13).
- Classification
- Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Eastern
- Dialects
- Moldavian, Muntenian (Walachian), Transylvanian, Banat, Bayash, Bessarabian (Basarabean). Little dialect variation. Bayash are Roma whose dialect is based on Banat, but influenced by Balkan Romani [rmn] and Hungarian [hun]. Lexical similarity: 77% with Italian [ita], 75% with French [fra], 74% with Sardinian [src], 73% with Catalan [cat], 72% with Portuguese [por] and Romansh [roh], 71% with Spanish [spa].
- Typology
- SVO; prepositions; noun head initial; gender (masculine/feminine/ambigeneric); indefinite article and definite article suffix; case-marking (2 cases); verb affixes mark person, number; passives; tense; 22 consonants, 7 vowels, 2 diphthongs; non-tonal; free stress.
- Language Use
- Some also use English [eng] (European Commission 2006). Some also use French [fra] (European Commission 2006).
- Language Development
- Taught in all primary and secondary schools. Taught in tertiary schools. Fully developed. Bible: 1688–1989.
- Writing
- Braille script [Brai]. Cyrillic script [Cyrl], official usage in Moldova until 1991. Cyrillic script, Old Church Slavonic variant [Cyrs], 1688, experimental usage. Latin script [Latn], primary usage.
- Other Comments
- Christian.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Romanian
Also Spoken in
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Armenia
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
1,200 in Armenia (Leclerc 2017a).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Argentina
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
16,000 in Argentina (2018), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Austria
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
16,900 in Austria (2003 UNSD).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Australia
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
13,000 in Australia (2016 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Azerbaijan
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
4,100 in Azerbaijan (Leclerc 2017b).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Belgium
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
121,000 in Belgium (2020 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Bulgaria
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
5,520 in Bulgaria (2011 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Brazil
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
21,000 in Brazil (2021 Joshua Project), based on ethnicity.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Canada
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
96,700 in Canada (2016 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Cyprus
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
24,300 in Cyprus (2013 UNSD).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Czechia
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
4,920 in Czechia (2011 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Germany
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
845,000 in Germany (2021 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Denmark
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
30,600 in Denmark (2020 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Spain
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
657,000 in Spain (2020 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Finland
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
6,070 in Finland (2021 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United Kingdom
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
67,600 in United Kingdom (2011 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Greece
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
56,900 in Greece (2011 census), based on nationality.
- Location
- Bács-Kiskun, Békés, Budapest, and Csongrád-Csanád counties.
- Dialects
- Boyash Romanian.
- Language Status
- 4 (Educational)
- Language Development
- Taught as subject in primary and secondary schools.
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Substantial literature. View other languages of Hungary
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
13,900 in Hungary (2011 census). Ethnic population: 26,300 (2011 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Ireland
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
2,900 in Ireland (2016 census).
- Location
- HaMerkaz district.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Language Use
- Also use Hebrew [heb].
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Jewish. View other languages of Israel
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
250,000 in Israel (1993 Statistical Abstract of Israel).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Italy
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
798,000 in Italy (2012 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Kazakhstan
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
23,700 in Kazakhstan (Leclerc 2017e).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Luxembourg
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
1,300 in Luxembourg (2021).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Latvia
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
3,350 in Latvia (2018).
- Location
- Widespread.
- Dialects
- Bessarabian (Basarabean, Basarabian, Bassarabian).
- Language Status
- 1 (National)
- Language Use
- Many Gypsies in Moldova and southern Ukraine speak Romanian dialect as L1. Most also use Russian [rus].
- Other Comments
- Christian. View other languages of Moldova
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
2,180,000 in Moldova (2014 census). 1,540,000 Moldavian and 640,000 Romanian (2014 census). Ethnic population: 2,260,000 (2014 census). 2,070,000 Moldovan and 193,000 Romanian (2014 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Norway
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
20,100 in Norway (2021 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of New Zealand
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
2,000 in New Zealand (2018 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Portugal
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
33,200 in Portugal (2007 J. Leclerc).
- Location
- South Backa district: Timoc valley.
- Language Status
- 2 (Provincial)
- Language Development
- Taught in primary schools, in minority-language schools.
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Serbia
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
29,100 in Serbia (2013 UNSD).
- Dialects
- Moldovan.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Russian Federation
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
117,000 in Russian Federation (2010 census). 96,100 Moldovan and 21,200 Romanian (2010 census). Ethnic population: 159,000 (2010 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Sweden
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
18,900 in Sweden (2020 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Turkmenistan
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
3,200 in Turkmenistan (Leclerc 2019b), based on ethnicity.
- Location
- Chernivtsi region, at northern Romania border; Odessa region, south of Moldova, Renijs’kyj district, 2 enclaves near border.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed) View other languages of Ukraine
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
328,000 in Ukraine (2003 UNSD). Ethnic population: 410,000 (2001 census). 151,000 ethnic Moldovians, 257,000 ethnic Romanians.
- Location
- Scattered.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Language Use
- Many also use English [eng].
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United States
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
155,000 in United States (2015 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Uzbekistan
Language Name
Romanian
User Population
8,000 in Uzbekistan (2019).
