Home›South American Language Families›All South American Language FamiliesBrowse ByAll South American Language FamiliesReference and ClassificationVerifiedA language family whose living or historical member languages are documented as indigenous to South America, including a family whose documented range extends north across the Isthmus of Panama into Central America: Quechuan, Tupian, Arawakan, Cariban, Macro-Ge, Chibchan and the many other families and isolates of the Amazon basin, the Andes, the Gran Chaco and Patagonia. Belongs here: any language-family entity whose constituent languages are documented as indigenous to South America, or whose range crosses the Isthmus of Panama with a South American core. Does not belong here: a family confined to Mexico or north of it, grouped instead under North American Language Families.FactsAll South American Language FamiliesSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsComparisonEstimated Living LanguagesWell-attested600 1All South American Language FamiliesFilter Results294 entriesRegionAllAmazon basin of northern Peru (1)Amazonas, Brazil (1)Andes, South America (1)Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay (1)Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru (1)Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia (1)Bahía, northeastern Brazil (1)Bolivia, with Ese’ejja also spoken in Peru (1)Brazil (7)Brazil and Bolivia (1)Brazil, Bolivia (1)Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela (1)Brazil-Venezuela border (1)Central Chile and neighboring areas of Argentina (1)Chiloé Archipelago, southern Chile (1)Colombia and Ecuador (2)Colombia and Panama (1)Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru (1)Dutch colonies in the Americas and Southeast Asia (1)Greater Amazonia (1)Northern Amazon (Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil) (1)Northern Peru and eastern Ecuador (1)Northern Peru and Ecuador, inter-Andean valley (1)Northwestern Amazon (2)Paraguay and Argentina (1)Peru (1)Peru and Ecuador (1)Peru, western Brazil, Bolivia and northern Paraguay (1)Peruvian and western Brazilian Amazon (1)Province of Moxos, Department of Beni, Bolivia (1)Rondonia, Brazil (2)Río Negro and southern Neuquén, Argentina (1)Sibundoy Valley, Putumayo Department, Colombia (1)South America (Harakmbut in Peru, Katukinan in Brazil) (1)South America and the Caribbean (1)southern Venezuela and the northern tip of Roraima, Brazil (1)State of Mato Grosso, Brazil (1)Uruguay and the Argentine province of Entre Ríos (1)Western Brazil, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia (1)Xingu River and tributaries, Brazil (1)Speaker Count BandAll0.000000 (59)1.000000 (7)2.000000 (5)3.000000 (2)5.000000 (2)6.000000 (1)8.000000 (1)9.000000 (1)10.000000 (1)12.000000 (1)20.000000 (2)25.000000 (1)35.000000 (1)40.000000 (1)50.000000 (1)60.000000 (2)78.000000 (1)90.000000 (1)100.000000 (2)140.000000 (1)150.000000 (2)180.000000 (1)190.000000 (1)230.000000 (1)240.000000 (1)250.000000 (2)270.000000 (1)290.000000 (1)300.000000 (1)311.000000 (1)320.000000 (1)340.000000 (1)370.000000 (1)500.000000 (2)514.000000 (1)570.000000 (1)640.000000 (1)720.000000 (1)740.000000 (1)953.000000 (1)1000.000000 (2)1080.000000 (1)1400.000000 (1)1500.000000 (1)1800.000000 (2)2000.000000 (1)2220.000000 (1)2300.000000 (1)2400.000000 (1)2500.000000 (1)2510.000000 (1)3140.000000 (1)3900.000000 (1)4000.000000 (1)4300.000000 (1)4500.000000 (1)5000.000000 (1)5160.000000 (1)5320.000000 (1)6200.000000 (1)6400.000000 (1)6500.000000 (1)9500.000000 (1)9650.000000 (1)9830.000000 (1)9881.000000 (1)10000.000000 (3)11300.000000 (1)12055.000000 (1)13000.000000 (1)15800.000000 (1)20000.000000 (1)20782.000000 (1)21000.000000 (1)28100.000000 (1)40000.000000 (1)45000.000000 (1)51000.000000 (1)60000.000000 (2)73567.000000 (1)100000.000000 (1)117000.000000 (1)190000.000000 (1)257500.000000 (1)300000.000000 (1)400000.000000 (1)410000.000000 (1)2200000.000000 (1)3000000.000000 (1)6900000.000000 (1)7000000.000000 (2)In GroupAllArawakan (80)Arawan Family (9)Barbacoan Family (6)Cariban (8)Chibchan (10)Chocoan Family (6)Ge-Kaingang (Macro-Je) (30)Guaicuruan (7)Nambikwaran Family (5)Panoan and Takanan (4)Quechuan and Aymaran (10)South American Language Isolates and Small Families (76)South American Sign Languages (6)Tucanoan (4)Tupian (16)Witotoan Family (8)Zaparoan Family (7)Macro-areaAllArawakan (80)Arawan Family (9)Barbacoan Family (6)Cariban (8)Chibchan (10)Chocoan Family (6)Ge-Kaingang (Macro-Je) (30)Guaicuruan (7)Nambikwaran Family (5)Panoan and Takanan (4)Quechuan and Aymaran (10)South American Language Isolates and Small Families (76)South American Sign Languages (6)Tucanoan (4)Tupian (16)Witotoan Family (8)Zaparoan Family (7)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 100Achagua languageSouth American Language FamiliesAikanãSouth American Language FamiliesAlacalufanSouth American Language FamiliesAmarizana languageSouth American Language FamiliesAmazonian languagesSouth American Language FamiliesAnauyá languageSouth American Language FamiliesAndaquiSouth American Language FamiliesAndoa languageSouth American Language FamiliesAndoqueSouth American Language FamiliesAndoque-Urequena languagesSouth American Language FamiliesAntioquian languagesSouth American Language FamiliesApolista languageSouth American Language FamiliesApurinã languageSouth American Language FamiliesArabela languageSouth American Language FamiliesAraucanianSouth American Language FamiliesArawakanSouth American Language FamiliesArawanSouth American Language FamiliesArgentine Sign LanguageSouth American Language FamiliesArikem languagesSouth American Language FamiliesAroaqui languageSouth American Language FamiliesAruã languageSouth American Language FamiliesArutaniSouth American Language FamiliesArutani-Sape languagesSouth American Language FamiliesAsháninka languageSouth American Language FamiliesAshéninka languageSouth American Language FamiliesAtorada languageSouth American Language FamiliesAushiri languageSouth American Language FamiliesAvane languageSouth American Language FamiliesAwa Pit languageSouth American Language FamiliesAymaranSouth American Language FamiliesBaenanSouth American Language FamiliesBahuana languageSouth American Language FamiliesBaniwa of GuainíaSouth American Language FamiliesBaniwa of IçanaSouth American Language FamiliesBarbacoanSouth American Language FamiliesBaré languageSouth American Language FamiliesBaure languageSouth American Language FamiliesBetoi LanguageSouth American Language FamiliesBetoi-JiraraSouth American Language FamiliesBora-Witoto languagesSouth American Language FamiliesBororoanSouth American Language FamiliesBrazilian Sign LanguageSouth American Language FamiliesCabiyari languageSouth American Language FamiliesCahuapananSouth American Language FamiliesCahuarano languageSouth American Language FamiliesCajamarca-Cañaris QuechuaSouth American Language FamiliesCanamaré languageSouth American Language FamiliesCanari-PuruhaSouth American Language FamiliesCandoshi-ShapraSouth American Language FamiliesCanichanaSouth American Language FamiliesCaquetío languageSouth American Language FamiliesCaquinte languageSouth American Language FamiliesCararí languageSouth American Language FamiliesCaribanSouth American Language FamiliesCayubabaSouth American Language FamiliesCayuvavaSouth American Language FamiliesCena (sign language)South American Language FamiliesCentral Alacaluf languageSouth American Language FamiliesCentral Jê languagesSouth American Language FamiliesCerrado languagesSouth American Language FamiliesChamicuro languageSouth American Language FamiliesChapacuranSouth American Language FamiliesChaʼpalaa languageSouth American Language FamiliesCharruanSouth American Language FamiliesChibchanSouth American Language FamiliesChichamSouth American Language FamiliesChilean Sign LanguageSouth American Language FamiliesChimuan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesChiquitanoSouth American Language FamiliesChocoSouth American Language FamiliesChocoan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesCholonSouth American Language FamiliesChonanSouth American Language FamiliesChonoSouth American Language FamiliesCofánSouth American Language FamiliesCulleSouth American Language FamiliesCulliSouth American Language FamiliesDeni languageSouth American Language FamiliesDutch-based creole languagesSouth American Language FamiliesEmberá languagesSouth American Language FamiliesEnawene Nawe languageSouth American Language FamiliesEsmeralda-Yaruroan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesEsmeraldéñoSouth American Language FamiliesGarifuna languageSouth American Language FamiliesGoyaz Jê languagesSouth American Language FamiliesGuachi languageSouth American Language FamiliesGuaicaro languageSouth American Language FamiliesGuaicuruanSouth American Language FamiliesGuajiboanSouth American Language FamiliesGuambiano languageSouth American Language FamiliesGuamo languageSouth American Language FamiliesGuarani languagesSouth American Language FamiliesGuarequena languageSouth American Language FamiliesGuarú languageSouth American Language FamiliesGuatóSouth American Language FamiliesGuinau languageSouth American Language FamiliesGununa KuneSouth American Language FamiliesGuyanese Sign LanguageSouth American Language FamiliesHarákmbut languageSouth American Language FamiliesHarakmbut-KatukinanSouth American Language Families123Next →Sources1. Wikipedia: Indigenous Languages Of South AmericaWikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead sectionAbout 600 indigenous languages are known from South America, Central America, and the Antilles (see List of indigenous languages of South America), although the actual number of languages that existed in the past may have been substantially higher.View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.