A Baltic language famous for preserving many archaic Proto-Indo-European features — Lithuania's official tongue, considered the most conservative living Indo-European language.
Where it’s spoken
Lithuanian is the official language of Lithuania and one of the EU’s official languages. Lithuanian-speaking minorities live in Poland, Belarus, Russia (Kaliningrad), and Ukraine. Lithuanian-American communities in Chicago, Boston, and Pennsylvania trace to early 20th-century emigration; newer waves followed after 2004 EU accession.
What it sounds like
Lithuanian is the most archaic Indo-European language still spoken — it preserves features of Proto-Indo-European that other languages lost millennia ago. It retains seven noun cases, three grammatical genders, pitch accent, and dual number traces. Vowel length is phonemic. Linguists frequently cite Lithuanian for comparative reconstructions of Indo-European ancestors.
How it’s written
Lithuanian uses the Latin alphabet plus ą, č, ę, ė, į, š, ų, ū, and ž. Long vowels are marked with ogonek (ą, ę, į, ų), macron (ū), or dot (ė). The orthography was standardized in the 19th century.
History
Old Lithuanian texts begin in the 16th century. The 19th-century Lithuanian National Revival, partly led by figures like Vincas Kudirka, modernized the language under Russian imperial suppression that banned its printing in Latin script (1864–1904).
Find more languages by letter
Lithuanian starts with L and ends with N. Browse other languages along the same letter.
Languages that contain a letter from "Lithuanian":