Languages Spoken In Singapore [Updated 2022]

Have you ever thought about what languages are spoken in Singapore? Read the article till the end to know the official and foreign languages spoken in Singapore. 

Not many people know that Singapore is the English version of the otherwise native Malay name Singapura.

The island state’s population, estimated to be around 5.7 million people and it is incredibly diverse in terms of culture and language.

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Singapore is a leading power in technology and business. This South Asian megapolis is home to a number of different languages and its linguistic variety continues to evolve.

If you are curious to get to know Singapore’s linguistic heritage better, keep reading! In this blog, you will find everything you need to know about this modern, multicultural city.

Official languages of Singapore

Singapore is definitely a country that stands out from the rest. In regard to official languages, the country is not an exception. In the Singaporean constitution, there are 4 languages that gets listed as an official: Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, and English.

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Their official status indicates that all names of streets, stations, etc. as well as signs written in each of these 4 languages.

What’s more, schooling is available in each of these languages and people are free to choose which one they want to learn.

Here is some more information about each of the official languages of Singapore:

The Malay language in Singapore

The Malay language is the National Language of Singapore. Despite that, it is spoken by only 14% of Singapore’s population. This is an indigenous language spoken in Singapore before the arrival of the British colonizers in 1819. What’s more, the Singaporean anthem Majulah Singapura, meaning Onward Singapore, is in Malay.

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During colonial times people from different ethnicities used Bazaar Malay to communicate. This Malay variety had very simple grammar and limited vocabulary.

Today majority of the Malay population speaks the Malay language, Bahasa Melayu. This variety is very similar to the Malay dialects spoken in Indonesia.

In Singapore, in particular, Malay uses the Latin script which also known as Rumi. Jawi, on the other hand, is an Arabic script of Malay, but it is not as common as Rumi.

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Chinese in Singapore

Based on the Beijing dialect, Mandarin or Huayu is the official Singaporean Chinese. It uses the simplified and standardized form of Chinese characters.

Around three-quarters of the population belong to the Chinese diaspora formed mainly by immigrants from Southern China.

In this part of China, the main dialects include Cantonese, Hokkien, Hainanese, and Teochew. Therefore, these dialects can be found in the territory of Singapore.

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However, this diversity was limited by the government’s attempt to standardize the Chinese language. It banned the use of regional dialects on radio and television and Mandarin was the only Chinese dialect taught at schools.

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Today, these bans got lifted, however, Chinese dialects are much less diverse and most of them speak only at home. Still. Mandarin Chinese, spoken by the majority of the Singaporean population – 35%.

Tamil language in Singapore

The Tamil language was recognized as the official language of Singapore. due to the large number of settlers coming from the Tamil Nadu region in Southern India. According to statistics, only 3% of the population speak Tamil.

Although the number of Indian people living in Singapore is relatively small, there are quite a few other Indian languages spoken on the territory of Singapore.

While the state recognizes the only Indian language, Tamil as the official language, some schools also offer other languages like Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.

The Tamil language uses a non-Latin script, also known as Tamil script – a writing system in which consequences of vowels and consonants gets written as a unit.

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English – the language of business in Singapore

English is the most widely spoken language in Singapore, primarily by the population below the age of 50. What’s more, it is the main medium of instruction of schools, the government and the business.

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The English spoken in Singapore, based on the British variety, widely accepted and has remained as a legacy from the British colonization from the 19th century.

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Moreover, any major ethnic group does not English. Indeed, its purpose is to unite the multilingual population of Singapore.

Since English, widely accepted around the world as the language of business, administration, science, and technology, Singapore relies on it to attract foreign investors and experts.

In recent years the number of English speakers in Singapore has grown exponentially making it one of the leading Asian countries. Indeed, a recent report claims that around 70% of Singaporeans speak English at home.

What’s more, the bilingual educational policy of Singapore ensures that children learn both English and their mother tongue (either Chinese, Tamil, or Malay) at an advanced level.

According to EF English Proficiency Index Singapore is in the top 10 of the countries with the highest proficiency in the world.

In Asia, the city-state is the only country deemed to have “very high English proficiency”.

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