What is the official language of Brazil?

Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. Article 13 of Brazil’s federal Constitution establishes Portuguese as the official language of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

Brazil’s Portuguese developed from the language brought by Portuguese colonists beginning in the 16th century. Over time, it absorbed vocabulary and influences from Indigenous languages and from African languages spoken by enslaved and later immigrant communities. Brazilian Portuguese differs in pronunciation, vocabulary, and some grammar from European Portuguese, but the two varieties remain mutually intelligible.

Spanish is a common mix-up because Brazil is surrounded by Spanish-speaking countries and is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas. Portuguese is used in national government, education, business, newspapers, radio, and television. That does not mean Brazil has only one language: more than 200 Indigenous and immigrant languages are spoken there, and some municipalities grant local co-official status to additional languages such as Nheengatu, Tukano, or Baniwa.