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 94Parukotoan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesPasé languageSouth American Language FamiliesPaumarí languageSouth American Language FamiliesPaunaka languageSouth American Language FamiliesPayaguaSouth American Language FamiliesPeba-YaguanSouth American Language FamiliesPekodian languagesSouth American Language FamiliesPiapoco languageSouth American Language FamiliesPiaroa-SalibanSouth American Language FamiliesPiaroa-Salivan LanguagesSouth American Language FamiliesPidjanan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesPirahaSouth American Language FamiliesPiro languagesSouth American Language FamiliesPre-Andine languagesSouth American Language FamiliesPuinaveSouth American Language FamiliesPuinave-MakuSouth American Language FamiliesPumeSouth American Language FamiliesPuquinaSouth American Language FamiliesPuri languageSouth American Language FamiliesPurianSouth American Language FamiliesPuruboráSouth American Language FamiliesQuechua ISouth American Language FamiliesQuechuanSouth American Language FamiliesQuechumaran languagesSouth American Language FamiliesRamarama languagesSouth American Language FamiliesResígaro languageSouth American Language FamiliesSabanê languageSouth American Language FamiliesSapeSouth American Language FamiliesSaraveca languageSouth American Language FamiliesSechuraSouth American Language FamiliesSouthern Jê languagesSouth American Language FamiliesSouthern QuechuaSouth American Language FamiliesTa-Arawakan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesTacananSouth American Language FamiliesTaíno languageSouth American Language FamiliesTallán languageSouth American Language FamiliesTapajós languagesSouth American Language FamiliesTaparita languageSouth American Language FamiliesTaranoan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesTariana languageSouth American Language FamiliesTarumaSouth American Language FamiliesTaushiroSouth American Language FamiliesTequiraca languageSouth American Language FamiliesTerêna languageSouth American Language FamiliesTicunaSouth American Language FamiliesTicuna-YuriSouth American Language FamiliesTimoteanSouth American Language FamiliesTiniguanSouth American Language FamiliesTrans-Araguaia languagesSouth American Language FamiliesTrans-São Francisco languagesSouth American Language FamiliesTrans-Tocantins languagesSouth American Language FamiliesTrinitario languageSouth American Language FamiliesTrumaiSouth American Language FamiliesTsafiki languageSouth American Language FamiliesTucanoanSouth American Language FamiliesTupari languagesSouth American Language FamiliesTupianSouth American Language FamiliesTupi-GuaraniSouth American Language FamiliesUpper Amazon Arawakan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesUrarinaSouth American Language FamiliesUrequena languageSouth American Language FamiliesUru-ChipayaSouth American Language FamiliesWainumá-Mariaté languageSouth American Language FamiliesWaoraniSouth American Language FamiliesWapishana languageSouth American Language FamiliesWaraikú languageSouth American Language FamiliesWarao languageSouth American Language FamiliesWarekena Velha languageSouth American Language FamiliesWaurá languageSouth American Language FamiliesWayuu languageSouth American Language FamiliesWiriná languageSouth American Language FamiliesWitoto languageSouth American Language FamiliesWitotoanSouth American Language FamiliesWounaan languageSouth American Language FamiliesXukuruan languagesSouth American Language FamiliesYabaâna languageSouth American Language FamiliesYabutian languagesSouth American Language FamiliesYaneshaʼ languageSouth American Language FamiliesYanomamanSouth American Language FamiliesYaruro LanguageSouth American Language FamiliesYateSouth American Language FamiliesYavitero languageSouth American Language FamiliesYawalapití languageSouth American Language FamiliesYine languageSouth American Language FamiliesYucuna languageSouth American Language FamiliesYumana languageSouth American Language FamiliesYuracaréSouth American Language FamiliesYurumanguíSouth American Language FamiliesYuruna languagesSouth American Language FamiliesYuwana LanguageSouth American Language FamiliesZamucoanSouth American Language FamiliesZáparo languageSouth American Language FamiliesZaparoanSouth American Language FamiliesZuruahá languageSouth American Language Families← Previous123Sources1. 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.