The official language spoken in Romania is Romanian. It is a Romance language with Latin roots and is spoken by about 90-91% of the population as their primary language
. Romanian is used in government, education, media, and public life throughout the country
. Besides Romanian, Romania is home to several minority languages due to its diverse ethnic communities. The most significant minority language is Hungarian, spoken mainly in Transylvania by about 6.5% of the population. Other minority languages include Romani (spoken by the Roma community), Ukrainian, German (especially among Transylvanian Saxons and Banat Swabians), Russian (Lipovans), Turkish, Tatar, Serbian, Slovak, Bulgarian, and Croatian
. Romania’s laws protect the rights of minorities to use their languages in education, administration, and public signage where they represent a significant percentage of the local population
. In summary:
- Official language: Romanian
- Major minority languages: Hungarian, Romani, Ukrainian, German, Russian, Turkish, Tatar, Serbian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Croatian
- Romanian language family: Eastern Romance, evolved from Vulgar Latin
- Romanian speakers: About 90% of Romania’s population
