The official language spoken in Denmark is Danish. Danish is a North Germanic language from the Indo-European family, spoken by about six million people primarily in Denmark
. It is the national language and used in government, education, and daily communication across the country
. In addition to Danish, there are two officially recognized regional languages within the Kingdom of Denmark:
- Faroese, spoken in the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of Denmark. Faroese is closely related to Icelandic and Old Norse
- Greenlandic (Kalaallisut), spoken in Greenland, another autonomous territory. Greenlandic belongs to the Eskimo-Aleut language family and is unrelated to Danish
Besides these, minority languages such as German and Romani are spoken by smaller groups, especially in southern Denmark where there is a German minority
. English is widely spoken as a second language by about 86% of Danes and is compulsory in schools, followed by German and Swedish as other common foreign languages
. In summary:
- Official language: Danish
- Regional official languages: Faroese (Faroe Islands), Greenlandic (Greenland)
- Minority languages: German, Romani
- Common foreign languages: English, German, Swedish
Danish itself is known for its complex vowel system and distinctive prosody, which can make it challenging to learn even for native speakers
