Tibetan language

The Tibetan language is a language spoken in Tibet, a region of China. It is one of the main Han–Tibetan languages.

Standard Tibetan
ལྷ་སའི་སྐད་ lha-sa'i skad
Native to	China Nepal Bhutan India Myanmar
Native speakers	(1.3 million cited 1990 census) ca. 5 million of broader Tibetan
Language family	Sino-Tibetan (Tibeto-Burman) Tibeto-Kanauri Bodish Tibetic Central Tibetan Standard Tibetan
Early forms	Old Tibetan Classical Tibetan
Writing system	Tibetan alphabet Tibetan Braille
Official status
Official language in	China Tibet Autonomous Region
Regulated by	Committee for the Standardisation of the Tibetan Language
Language codes
ISO 639-1	bo
ISO 639-2	tib (B) bod (T)
ISO 639-3	bod

It is also spoken in other parts of the Himalaya region, including northern Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Ladakh).

It has been spoken for many centuries (since at least the 6th century, possibly earlier).

Tibetan has many dialects. People who speak different dialects often cannot easily communicate with each other orally.

The Tibetan written language is not known by most Tibetans and is not taught in many Tibetan areas.