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 100Hibito-CholonSouth American Language FamiliesHimarimã languageSouth American Language FamiliesHodiSouth American Language FamiliesHodï-Saliban languagesSouth American Language FamiliesHuarpeanSouth American Language FamiliesHuilliche languageSouth American Language FamiliesIateSouth American Language FamiliesIgnaciano languageSouth American Language FamiliesIñapari languageSouth American Language FamiliesIquito languageSouth American Language FamiliesIrántxeSouth American Language FamiliesItonamaSouth American Language FamiliesJabutian languagesSouth American Language FamiliesJêSouth American Language FamiliesJirajaranSouth American Language FamiliesKaimbeSouth American Language FamiliesKaishana languageSouth American Language FamiliesKalinago languageSouth American Language FamiliesKamakã languagesSouth American Language FamiliesKamëntsáSouth American Language FamiliesKamsáSouth American Language FamiliesKanoêSouth American Language FamiliesKariaí languageSouth American Language FamiliesKaririSouth American Language FamiliesKatukinan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesKawesqaran languagesSouth American Language FamiliesKrenakSouth American Language FamiliesKulina languageSouth American Language FamiliesKunzaSouth American Language FamiliesKurripako languageSouth American Language FamiliesKustenau languageSouth American Language FamiliesKwazaSouth American Language FamiliesLecoSouth American Language FamiliesLokono languageSouth American Language FamiliesLule-VilelaSouth American Language FamiliesMachinere languageSouth American Language FamiliesMacro-Arawakan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesMacro-JêSouth American Language FamiliesMadí languageSouth American Language FamiliesMainatari languageSouth American Language FamiliesMaipure languageSouth American Language FamiliesMalibuSouth American Language FamiliesMamaindê languageSouth American Language FamiliesManao languageSouth American Language FamiliesMandahuaca languageSouth American Language FamiliesMapudungunSouth American Language FamiliesMarawá languageSouth American Language FamiliesMarawan languageSouth American Language FamiliesMascoianSouth American Language FamiliesMashco Piro languageSouth American Language FamiliesMatacoan LanguagesSouth American Language FamiliesMataco-Guaicuru languagesSouth American Language FamiliesMataguayanSouth American Language FamiliesMatanawi languageSouth American Language FamiliesMato Grosso Arára languageSouth American Language FamiliesMatsigenka languageSouth American Language FamiliesMawayana languageSouth American Language FamiliesMaweti-Guarani languagesSouth American Language FamiliesMaxakalían languagesSouth American Language FamiliesMehinaku languageSouth American Language FamiliesMepuri languageSouth American Language FamiliesMochicaSouth American Language FamiliesMonde languagesSouth American Language FamiliesMorique languageSouth American Language FamiliesMosetén-ChimanéSouth American Language FamiliesMovimaSouth American Language FamiliesMoxo languagesSouth American Language FamiliesMuinane languageSouth American Language FamiliesMunduruku languagesSouth American Language FamiliesMunichiSouth American Language FamiliesMuraSouth American Language FamiliesMure languageSouth American Language FamiliesNadahupSouth American Language FamiliesNambikwara languageSouth American Language FamiliesNambikwaranSouth American Language FamiliesNanti languageSouth American Language FamiliesNasa YuweSouth American Language FamiliesNatuSouth American Language FamiliesNomatsiguenga languageSouth American Language FamiliesNonuya languageSouth American Language FamiliesNorthern Jê languagesSouth American Language FamiliesNukak-Kakwa languagesSouth American Language FamiliesOcaina languageSouth American Language FamiliesOfayéSouth American Language FamiliesOmuranoSouth American Language FamiliesOti languageSouth American Language FamiliesOtomacoanSouth American Language FamiliesOtomakoanSouth American Language FamiliesPaezan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesPalikúr languageSouth American Language FamiliesPanoanSouth American Language FamiliesPano-Tacanan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesParaguay-Uruguay Sign Language familySouth American Language FamiliesParaná Jê languagesSouth American Language FamiliesParaujano languageSouth American Language FamiliesParawana languageSouth American Language FamiliesParesi languageSouth American Language FamiliesParesi-Waura languagesSouth American Language Families← Previous123Next →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.