Language Spoken in Bihar: Know More About the All Languages Spoken in Bihar

Languages Spoken in Bihar 2023 – Bihar, an eastern state in India, boasts a rich linguistic landscape. While Hindi is the state’s official language and is widely spoken, other languages such as Bhojpuri in the west, Maithili in the north, and Magahi in the south are also prevalent. Only Maithili is officially recognised under the Indian Constitution’s Eighth Schedule. Additionally, Urdu is recognised as a second official language in 15 districts. Bihar is also home to other Indo-Aryan languages such as Vajjika, Angika, Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili, and others. The linguistic diversity of Bihar is a testament to its cultural heritage and richness. Moreover, English is widely spoken in urban areas, further adding to the diversity of languages spoken in the state. Read on to learn more about the language spoken in Bihar, as we provide you with all the necessary details.

Language	Script	Brief Introduction
Hindi	Devanagari	Hindi is the official language of Bihar, spoken by the majority of the population. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan family and is written using the Devanagari script.
Maithili	Devanagari	Maithili is a regional language of Bihar, spoken primarily in the Mithila region. It is also an Indo-Aryan language and uses the Devanagari script, although it was traditionally written in Mithilakshar or Tirhuta script.
Bhojpuri	Devanagari	Bhojpuri is another regional language spoken in the Bhojpur region of Bihar. It is an Indo-Aryan language, closely related to Hindi and Maithili, and is written using the Devanagari script.
Magahi	Devanagari	Magahi, also known as Magadhi, is spoken in the Magadh region of Bihar. It is an Indo-Aryan language written in the Devanagari script. Magahi is closely related to Hindi, Bhojpuri, and Maithili.
Angika	Devanagari	Angika is a regional language spoken in the Anga region of Bihar. It is an Indo-Aryan language and is written using the Devanagari script. Angika is closely related to Maithili and has a rich literary tradition.
Bajjika	Devanagari	Bajjika is a regional language spoken in parts of Bihar, particularly in the districts bordering Nepal. It is an Indo-Aryan language and is written using the Devanagari script. Bajjika is closely related to Maithili and Bhojpuri.
Vajjika	Devanagari	Vajjika is a dialect of the Bhojpuri language, spoken in the Vajji region of Bihar. It is an Indo-Aryan language and is written using the Devanagari script. Vajjika shares linguistic features with Bhojpuri and Maithili.
Urdu	Perso-Arabic	Urdu is the second official language of Bihar, spoken by a significant minority population. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family and is written using the Perso-Arabic script, which is derived from the Arabic script.
Santali	Ol Chiki	Santali is a language spoken by the Santal tribe in some parts of Bihar. It belongs to the Austroasiatic language family and is written using the Ol Chiki script, which was specifically created for the Santali language.
Bengali	Bengali	Bengali is spoken by a minority population in Bihar, primarily in areas bordering West Bengal. It is an Indo-Aryan language and is written using the Bengali script. Bengali has a rich literary tradition and is the official language of West Bengal.
Nepali	Devanagari	Nepali is spoken by a small population in Bihar, primarily in areas bordering Nepal. It is an Indo-Aryan language and is written using the Devanagari script. Nepali is the official language of Nepal and has a rich literary tradition.

Official Languages Spoken in Bihar

Ever wondered Which language is spoken in Bihar? In Bihar state, Hindi is the predominant language, spoken by 77% of the population, followed by Maithili at 12.54% and Urdu at 8.4%. As the official and primary language, Hindi is spoken by all Biharis, including those who primarily speak Maithili and Urdu. Bhojpuri, Angika, and Magahi, considered Hindi dialects, are spoken extensively in specific districts of Bihar. Other languages such as Bengali, Punjabi, and Gujarati are spoken by less than 1% of the population each, typically by migrants.

Languages Sopken in Bihar	Persons	Percentage	Rural	Urban
Hindi	80,698,466	77.5205%	71,381,862	9,316,604
Maithili	13,063,042	12.5486%	12,395,984	667,058
Urdu	8,770,002	8.4246%	7,122,078	1,647,924
Bengali	810,771	0.7788%	734,058	76,713
Santali	458,949	0.4409%	447,771	11,178
Kurukh/Oraon	87,995	0.0845%	77,894	10,101
Malto	75,986	0.0730%	75,900	86
Punjabi	10,467	0.0101%	2,933	7,534
Gujarati	8,297	0.0080%	6,711	1,586
Nepali	5,727	0.0055%	3,840	1,887
Sanskrit	3,388	0.0033%	3,041	347
Odia	3,188	0.0031%	2,114	1,074
Sindhi	2,227	0.0021%	1,041	1,186
Assamese	2,087	0.0020%	1,447	640

Languages Spoken in Bihar – Brief Introduction

In addition to Hindi, Maithili and Urdu, Bihar is home to several other languages that are widely spoken. Below is a brief introduction to all the languages.

Maithili Language

Maithili is mostly spoken in Bihar’s Mithila region, which includes Darbhanga, Saharsa, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Madhepura, and Supaul. Many native Maithili speakers live in major cities throughout Bihar, Jharkhand, and other parts of India. The country’s total number of Maithili speakers is estimated to be 32 million. Maithili is spoken by 3 million people in Nepal, accounting for about 12% of the population, making it the country’s second most spoken language after Nepali. Maithili was initially classified as a dialect of Hindi, but after agitation for its recognition as a separate language, it was included in the Indian Constitution’s Eighth Schedule, making it one of India’s 22 official languages. 

Bhojpuri Language

Southern Bhojpuri, Northern Bhojpuri, Western Bhojpuri, and Nagpuria are the dialects of Bhojpuri.

Southern Standard Bhojpuri is widely spoken in Bihar’s old Shahabad district.

Northern Bhojpuri is widely spoken in Bihar’s western Tirhut division. Western Bhojpuri is spoken in the Uttar Pradesh districts of Varanasi (Varanasi, Chandauli, Jaunpur, and the western part of Ghazipur), Azamgarh (Azamgarh district), and Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Sant Ravidas Nagar, and Bhadohi.  Nagpuria Bhojpuri is the southernmost popular dialect, found in Jharkhand’s Chota Nagpur Plateau, particularly in Palamau and Ranchi. 

Angika Language

Angika, also known as Southern Maithili, is primarily spoken in the Anga area, which includes the Bihar districts of Munger, Bhagalpur, Banka, and the Jharkhand division of Santhal Pargana. Its audience is estimated to be around 15 million people. In addition to the Anga region, it is spoken in parts of Bihar’s Purnia district. However, it is a minority language in Purnia due to the Maithil majority. 

Vajjika Language

Bajjika, a language spoken in the Bajjikanchal region of Bihar, which includes Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, Samastipur, and parts of Sitamarhi and Champaran, is believed to be the mother tongue of approximately 15 million people, although there are no exact figures on the number of speakers. Around 200,000 people also speak the language in neighbouring Nepal. Bajjika was previously referred to as Vaishali ki boli, Vrijjika, and Brijjika.

Magahi Language

The Magahi (also known as Magadhi) language is descended from Magadhi Prakrit, which is thought to have been spoken by the Buddha. Magahi is spoken by 13 million people, primarily in Patna, Nalanda, Gaya, Nawada, Jehanabad, and Aurangabad.

Language Spoken in Bihar: FAQs