Tonga Languages

The language spoken in Tonga is Tongan. It is linguistically part of the Polynesian languages which crop from Austronesian languages. The Tongan alphabet consists of 16 letters namely A, E, F, H, K, L, M, N, Ng, O, P, S, T, U, and V. The use of the macron sign (¯) above a letter lengthens that letter. An example of the use of a macron is ā and ē. No consonants and diphthongs exist in the Tongan language.

Tonga has two official languages: Tongan and English. Over 95% of Tongans speak Tongan. The Tongan language consists of 16 alphabetic letters.

An example of a sentence in Tongan is as follows; “Ko e kotoa ‘o ha’a tangata ‘oku tau’ataina pea tatau ‘i he ngeia mo e ngaahi totonu". The sentence is translated “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.

Apart from the Tongan ethnic group, other ethnic groups residing in Tonga are Euronesians, Europeans, and East Asians. By percentages, they represent 1.7%, 1.0%, and 1.0% of Tonga’s population respectively.