Every question in this language guessing game is the same opening line in a different language: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Guess which of 80 languages you are reading from four choices.
Read the full guide
Three rounds, easy to hard
Round 1 has 20 widely spoken languages that look nothing alike, such as Korean, Greek and Swahili. In Round 2 the wrong choices are the nearest relatives: Danish beside Norwegian, Czech beside Slovak, Irish beside Scottish Gaelic. Round 3 turns on the script: Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbian share Cyrillic, Persian, Urdu and Pashto share Arabic letters, and Telugu and Kannada only look alike.
Run a guess the language game for a group
One player reads the four choices out, the room votes, and the phone settles it. For teams, pick Scored round: 20 sentences, the answers held back until the end, then a score.
Look at the letters before the words. One odd mark, such as ð, ț or ə, often settles it.
Say the sentence out loud, however badly. A language you have heard is easier to place by ear than by eye.
Questions and answers
How do you play a guess the language game?
Read the sentence and tap one of the four languages. The card marks your guess, says where the language is spoken and points to a letter or word to spot it by next time.
Which languages are in the guess the language quiz?
Eighty, from Spanish, Hindi, Arabic and Japanese to Welsh, Zulu, Samoan, Georgian and Tigrinya. English is left out, because the choices are written in it. Every sentence is listed lower on this page with its answer.
Where do the sentences come from?
Each is the opening of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the United Nations adopted in 1948. The sentences are copied character for character from the UDHR in XML project, which transcribes the translations collected by the UN human rights office.
Can I print this as a guessing language game for a class?
Yes. Pick a round under Start from and play a set of ten. Print then appears with your score: the sheet lists the sentences with lettered choices, and a tick on With answer key adds the answers on a page of their own.
Which language is this? Alle Menschen sind frei und gleich an Würde und Rechten geboren.Answer: German. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_deu_1901.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: German language
Which language is this? Ang lahat ng tao'y isinilang na malaya at pantay-pantay sa karangalan at mga karapatan.Answer: Tagalog. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_tgl.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Tagalog language
Which language is this? Bütün insanlar hür, haysiyet ve haklar bakımından eşit doğarlar.Answer: Turkish. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_tur.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Turkish language
Which language is this? Tất cả mọi người sinh ra đều được tự do và bình đẳng về nhân phẩm và quyền.Answer: Vietnamese. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_vie.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Vietnamese language
Which language is this? Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia, deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros.Answer: Spanish. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_spa.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Spanish language
Which language is this? Tous les êtres humains naissent libres et égaux en dignité et en droits.Answer: French. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_fra.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: French language
Show all 80 questions (74 more)
Round 1: easy, continued
Which language is this? Tutti gli esseri umani nascono liberi ed eguali in dignità e diritti.Answer: Italian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_ita.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Italian language
Which language is this? Watu wote wamezaliwa huru, hadhi na haki zao ni sawa.Answer: Swahili. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_swh.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Swahili
Which language is this? Wszyscy ludzie rodzą się wolni i równi pod względem swej godności i swych praw.Answer: Polish. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_pol.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Polish language
Which language is this? Όλοι οι άνθρωποι γεννιούνται ελεύθεροι και ίσοι στην αξιοπρέπεια και τα δικαιώματα.Answer: Greek. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_ell_monotonic.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Greek language
Which language is this? Все люди рождаются свободными и равными в своем достоинстве и правах.Answer: Russian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_rus.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Russian language
Which language is this? सभी मनुष्यों को गौरव और अधिकारों के मामले में जन्मजात स्वतन्त्रता और समानता प्राप्त है ।Answer: Hindi. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_hin.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Hindi
Which language is this? সমস্ত মানুষ স্বাধীনভাবে সমান মর্যাদা এবং অধিকার নিয়ে জন্মগ্রহণ করে।Answer: Bengali. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_ben.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Bengali language
Which language is this? மனிதப் பிறிவியினர் சகலரும் சுதந்திரமாகவே பிறக்கின்றனர்; அவர்கள் மதிப்பிலும், உரிமைகளிலும் சமமானவர்கள், அவர்கள் நியாயத்தையும் மனச்சாட்சியையும் இயற்பண்பாகப் பெற்றவர்கள்.Answer: Tamil. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_tam.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Tamil language
Which language is this? มนุษย์ทั้งปวงเกิดมามีอิสระและเสมอภาคกันในศักดิ์ศรีและสิทธิ ต่างในตนมีเหตุผลและมโนธรรม และควรปฏิบัติต่อกันด้วยจิตวิญญาณแห่งภราดรภาพAnswer: Thai. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_tha2.xml, Article 1 (the translation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand); Wikipedia: Thai language
Which language is this? 모든 인간은 태어날 때부터 자유로우며 그 존엄과 권리에 있어 동등하다.Answer: Korean. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_kor.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Korean language
Which language is this? כל בני אדם נולדו בני חורין ושווים בערכם ובזכויותיהם.Answer: Hebrew. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_heb.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Hebrew language
Which language is this? يولد جميع الناس أحرارًا متساوين في الكرامة والحقوق.Answer: Arabic. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_arb.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Arabic
Which language is this? すべての人間は、生まれながらにして自由であり、かつ、尊厳と権利とについて平等である。Answer: Japanese. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_jpn.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Japanese language
Which language is this? 人人生而自由，在尊严和权利上一律平等。Answer: Mandarin Chinese. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_cmn_hans.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Standard Chinese
Round 2: close cousins 30
Which language is this? All Mënsch kënnt fräi a mat deer selwechter Dignitéit an dene selwechte Rechter op d'Welt.Answer: Luxembourgish. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_ltz.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Luxembourgish
Which language is this? Alla människor äro födda fria och lika i värde och rättigheter.Answer: Swedish. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_swe.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Swedish language
Which language is this? Alle mennesker er født frie og lige i værdighed og rettigheder.Answer: Danish. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_dan.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Danish language
Which language is this? Alle mennesker er født frie og med samme menneskeverd og menneskerettigheter.Answer: Norwegian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_nob.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Norwegian language
Which language is this? Alle mensen worden vrij en gelijk in waardigheid en rechten geboren.Answer: Dutch. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_nld.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Dutch language
Which language is this? Alle menslike wesens word vry, met gelyke waardigheid en regte, gebore.Answer: Afrikaans. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_afr.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Afrikaans
Which language is this? Barcha odamlar erkin, qadr‐qimmat va huquqlarda teng boʻlib tugʻiladilar.Answer: Uzbek. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_uzn_latn.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Uzbek language
Which language is this? Bonke abantu bazalwa bekhululekile belingana ngesithunzi nangamalungelo.Answer: Zulu. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_zul.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Zulu language
Which language is this? Bütün insanlar ləyaqət və hüquqlarına görə azad və bərabər doğulurlar.Answer: Azerbaijani. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_azj_latn.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Azerbaijani language
Which language is this? Genir pawb yn rhydd ac yn gydradd â’i gilydd mewn urddas a hawliau.Answer: Welsh. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_cym.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Welsh language
Which language is this? Hānau kū’oko’a ‘ia nā kānaka apau loa, a ua kau like ka hanohano a me nā pono kīvila ma luna o kākou pākahi.Answer: Hawaiian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_haw.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Hawaiian language
Which language is this? Hver maður er borinn frjáls og jafn öðrum að virðingu og réttindum.Answer: Icelandic. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_isl.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Icelandic language
Which language is this? Kaikki ihmiset syntyvät vapaina ja tasavertaisina arvoltaan ja oikeuksiltaan.Answer: Finnish. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_fin.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Finnish language
Which language is this? Ko te katoa o nga tangata i te whanaungatanga mai e watea ana i nga here katoa; e tauriterite ana hoki nga mana me nga tika.Answer: Maori. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_mri.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Māori language
Which language is this? Kõik inimesed sünnivad vabadena ja võrdsetena oma väärikuselt ja õigustelt.Answer: Estonian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_est.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Estonian language
Which language is this? O tagata soifua uma ua saoloto lo latou fananau mai, ma e tutusa o latou tulaga aloaia faapea a latou aia tatau.Answer: Samoan. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_smo.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Samoan language
Which language is this? Saoláitear na daoine uile saor agus comhionann ina ndínit agus ina gcearta.Answer: Irish. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_gle.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Irish language
Which language is this? Semua orang dilahirkan merdeka dan mempunyai martabat dan hak-hak yang sama.Answer: Indonesian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_ind.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Indonesian language
Which language is this? Sva ljudska bića rađaju se slobodna i jednaka u dostojanstvu i pravima.Answer: Croatian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_hrv.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Croatian language
Which language is this? Tha gach uile dhuine air a bhreth saor agus co-ionnan ann an urram 's ann an còirichean.Answer: Scottish Gaelic. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_gla.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Scottish Gaelic
Which language is this? Toate ființele umane se nasc libere și egale în demnitate și în drepturi.Answer: Romanian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_ron_1953.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Romanian language
Which language is this? Tódolos seres humanos nacen libres e iguais en dignidade e dereitos e, dotados como están de razón e conciencia, díbense comportar fraternalmente uns cos outros.Answer: Galician. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_glg.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Galician language
Which language is this? Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e em direitos.Answer: Portuguese. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_por_PT.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Portuguese language
Which language is this? Tots els éssers humans neixen lliures i iguals en dignitat i en drets.Answer: Catalan. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_cat.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Catalan language
Which language is this? Vanhu vese vanoberekwa vakasununguka uyewo vakaenzana pahunhu nekodzero dzavo.Answer: Shona. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_sna.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Shona language
Which language is this? Visi cilvēki piedzimst brīvi un vienlīdzīgi savā pašcieņā un tiesībās.Answer: Latvian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_lav.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Latvian language
Which language is this? Visi žmonės gimsta laisvi ir lygūs savo orumu ir teisėmis.Answer: Lithuanian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_lit.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Lithuanian language
Which language is this? Všetci ľudia sa rodia slobodní a sebe rovní , čo sa týka ich dostojnosti a práv.Answer: Slovak. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_slk.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Slovak language
Which language is this? Vsi ljudje se rodijo svobodni in imajo enako dostojanstvo in enake pravice.Answer: Slovenian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_slv.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Slovene language
Which language is this? Všichni lidé rodí se svobodní a sobě rovní co do důstojnosti a práv.Answer: Czech. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_ces.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Czech language
Round 3: look-alike scripts 30
Which language is this? Барлық адамдар тумысынан азат және қадір‐қасиеті мен кұқықтары тең болып дүниеге келеді.Answer: Kazakh. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_kaz.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Kazakh language
Which language is this? Всички хора се раждат свободни и равни по достойнство и права.Answer: Bulgarian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_bul.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Bulgarian language
Which language is this? Всі люди народжуються вільними і рівними у своїй гідності та правах.Answer: Ukrainian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_ukr.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Ukrainian language
Which language is this? Сва људска бића рађају се слободна и једнака у достојанству и правима.Answer: Serbian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_srp_cyrl.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Serbian language
Which language is this? Сите човечки суштества се раѓаат слободни и еднакви по достоинство и права.Answer: Macedonian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_mkd.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Macedonian language
Which language is this? Тамоми одамон озод ва аз лиҳози шарафу ҳуқуқ ба ҳам баробар ба дунё меоянд.Answer: Tajik. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_tgk.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Tajik language
Which language is this? Усе людзі нараджаюцца свабоднымі і роўнымі ў сваёй годнасці і правах.Answer: Belarusian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_bel.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Belarusian language
Which language is this? Хүн бүр төрж мэндлэхэд эрх чөлөөтэй, адилхан нэр төртэй, ижил эрхтэй байдаг.Answer: Mongolian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_khk.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Mongolian language
Which language is this? Բոլոր մարդիկ ծնվում են ազատ ու հավասար իրենց արժանապատվությամբ ու իրավունքներով։Answer: Armenian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_hye.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Armenian language
Which language is this? सबै व्यक्ति हरू जन्मजात स्वतन्त्र हुन ती सबैको समान अधिकार र महत्व छ।Answer: Nepali. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_nep.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Nepali language
Which language is this? सर्व मानवी व्यक्ति जन्मतःच स्वतंत्र आहेत व त्यांना समान प्रतिष्ठा व समान अधिकार आहेत.Answer: Marathi. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_mar.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Marathi language
Which language is this? सर्वे मानवाः स्वतन्त्राः समुत्पन्नाः वर्तन्ते अपि च, गौरवदृशा अधिकारदृशा च समानाः एव वर्तन्ते।Answer: Sanskrit. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_san.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Sanskrit
Which language is this? ਸਾਰਾ ਮਨੁੱਖੀ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਆਪਣੀ ਮਹਿਮਾ, ਸ਼ਾਨ ਅਤੇ ਹੱਕਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੱਖੋਂ ਜਨਮ ਤੋਂ ਹੀ ਆਜ਼ਾਦ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਸੁਤੇ ਸਿੱਧ ਸਾਰੇ ਲੋਕ ਬਰਾਬਰ ਹਨ ।Answer: Punjabi. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_pan.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Punjabi language
Which language is this? પ્રતિષ્ઠા અને અધિકારોની દૃષ્ટિએ સર્વ માનવો જન્મથી સ્વતંત્ર અને સમાન હોય છે.Answer: Gujarati. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_guj.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Gujarati language
Which language is this? ప్రతిపత్తిస్వత్వముల విషయమున మానవులెల్లరును జన్మతః స్వతంత్రులును సమానులును నగుదురు.Answer: Telugu. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_tel.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Telugu language
Which language is this? ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮಾನವರೂ ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರರಾಗಿಯೇ ಜನಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.Answer: Kannada. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_kan.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Kannada
Which language is this? മനുഷ്യരെല്ലാവരും തുല്യാവകാശങ്ങളോടും അന്തസ്സോടും സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തോടുംകൂടി ജനിച്ചിട്ടുള്ളവരാണ്.Answer: Malayalam. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_mal.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Malayalam
Which language is this? සියලු මනුෂ්යයෝ නිදහස්ව උපත ලබා ඇත.Answer: Sinhala. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_sin.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Sinhala language
Which language is this? ມະນຸດເກີດມາມີສິດເສລີພາບ ແລະ ສະເໝີໜ້າກັນໃນທາງກຽດຕິສັກ ແລະ ທາງສິດດ້ວຍມະນຸດມີສະຕິສຳປັດຊັນຍະ(ຮູ້ດີຮູ້ຊົ່ວ)ແລະມີມະໂນທຳຈື່ງຕ້ອງປະພຶດຕົນຕໍ່ກັນໃນທາງພີ່ນ້ອງ.Answer: Lao. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_lao.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Lao language
Which language is this? လူတိုင်းသည် တူညီ လွတ်လပ်သော ဂုဏ်သိက္ခာဖြင့် လည်းကောင်း၊ တူညီလွတ်လပ်သော အခွင့်အရေးများဖြင့် လည်းကောင်း၊ မွေးဖွားလာသူများ ဖြစ်သည်။Answer: Burmese. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_mya.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Burmese language
Which language is this? ყოველი ადამიანი იბადება თავისუფალი და თანასწორი თავისი ღირსებითა და უფლებებით.Answer: Georgian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_kat.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Georgian language
Which language is this? ብመንፅር ክብርን መሰልን ኩሎም ሰባት እንትውለዱ ነፃን ማዕሪን እዮም፡፡Answer: Tigrinya. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_tir.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Tigrinya language
Which language is this? የሰው፡ልጅ፡ሁሉ፡ሲወለድ፡ነጻና፡በክብርና፡በመብትም፡እኩልነት፡ያለው፡ነው።Answer: Amharic. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_amh.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Amharic
Which language is this? មនុស្សទាំងអស់ កើតមកមានសេរីភាព និងសមភាព ក្នុងផ្នែកសេចក្ដីថ្លៃថ្នូរនិងសិទ្ធិ។Answer: Khmer. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_khm.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Khmer language
Which language is this? יעדער מענטש װערט געבױרן פֿרײַ און גלײַך אין כּבֿוד און רעכט.Answer: Yiddish. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_ydd.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Yiddish
Which language is this? تمام افراد بشر آزاد بدنیا میایند و از لحاظ حیثیت و حقوق با هم برابرند.Answer: Persian. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_pes_1.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Persian language
Which language is this? تمام انسان آزاد اور حقوق و عزت کے اعتبار سے برابر پیدا ہوئے ہیں۔Answer: Urdu. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_urd.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Urdu
Which language is this? د بشر ټول افراد ازاد نړۍ ته راځي او د حيثيت او د حقوقو له پلوه سره برابر دي۔Answer: Pashto. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_pbu.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Pashto
Which language is this? ھەممە ئادەم زانىدىنلا ئەركىن، ئىززەت-ھۆرمەت ۋە ھوقۇقتا باپباراۋەر بولۇپ تۇغۇلغان.Answer: Uyghur. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_uig_arab.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Uyghur language
Which language is this? 人人生而平等，喺尊严同埋权利上一律平等。Answer: Cantonese. Source: UDHR in XML project, udhr_yue.xml, Article 1; Wikipedia: Cantonese
How this list was compiled: One sentence in 80 languages: the opening of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a United Nations text whose translations are collected by the UN human rights office (ohchr.org). Each sentence was copied character for character on 2026-10-08 from the UDHR in XML project (https://github.com/eric-muller/udhr, commit 588b3f4b2d04), which transcribes those translations and records the origin of each file; nothing was retyped, translated or corrected here. Each text is cut at its first full stop, so a few translations show more or less than the English sentence; four (Spanish, Thai, Galician, Lao) make the whole article one sentence. The project records the UN human rights office as the origin of 79 of the 80 files; the Thai text is the one it took from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The questions, the wrong choices and the explanations are own work. Where each language is spoken was checked the same day against the opening section and the fact box of its English Wikipedia article, named on each question. Every letter or word an explanation points to was checked against the sentences themselves, the wrong choices included. Left out: any language whose script many phones do not draw, and any wrong choice whose own text prints the same sentence (Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin beside Croatian). Licence: Questions and explanations: own work. Quoted sentences: one sentence each from the translations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as transcribed by the UDHR in XML project (https://github.com/eric-muller/udhr).