A variety of languages are spoken in Suriname. Dutch is the sole official language, and is the language of education, government, business and the media. Over 60 percent of the population speak it as a mother tongue, and most of the rest speak it as a second or third language.

• Sranan Tongo, a local creole language originally spoken by the Creole population group, is the most widely used language in the streets and often interchangeably with Dutch depending on the formality of the setting.

• Surinamese Hindi, a dialect of Bhojpuri, is the third-most used language, spoken by the descendants of British Asian contract workers.

• Javanese is used by the descendants of Javanese contract workers.

• The Maroon languages, somewhat intelligible with Sranan Tongo, include Saramaka, Paramakan, Ndyuka, Aukan, Kwinti and Matawai.

• Amerindian languages, spoken by Amerindians, include Carib and Arawak.

• Hakka and Cantonese are spoken by the descendants of the Chinese contract workers.

• Mandarin is spoken by some few recent Chinese immigrants.

• English, Spanish and Portuguese are also used. Spanish and Portuguese are spoken by Latin American residents and their descendants and sometimes also taught in schools.

• Arabic (Lebanese dialect), Armenian