Say ¿Qué?: Top Ten Spoken Languages in the State of New York

Most Spoken Languages in New York

According to the U.S. Census Bureau,* the top most spoken languages in New York state were as follows:

• English

• Spanish

• Chinese (includes Mandarin & Cantonese)

• Russian

• Yiddish

• Haitian Creole

• Bengali

• Italian

• French

• Arabic

• Yoruba

• Korean

Top Countries of Birth in New York

The top birthplaces of the residents of New York were as follows:

• United States

• Dominican Republic

• China

• Jamaica

• Mexico

• Ecuador

• Guyana

• India

• Haiti

• Bangladesh

• Colombia

• El Salvador

• Trinidad and Tobago

• Philippines

• Korea

• Italy

• Ukraine

• Russia

• Poland

• Pakistan

• United Kingdom

Say ¿Qué? Multi-Language Design Series

How do you say [<♡>] in your language? To become a true polyglot, one must be proficient in four or more languages! Our Say ¿Qué? designs feature eleven languages! Below are translations for hello and love for the #TopTenSpokenNY.

Hello!!!

When translating “hello,” it was less about exact translations and more about learning how people greet each other. There were formal and informal ways of greeting others, depending on one’s familiarity. Often it was more than just a “hello” but an inquiry into their well-being or wishing them well.

• Hello [English]

• Hola [Spanish]

• Nǐ hǎo (你好) [Mandarin]

• Privet (привет) [Russian]

• Heka (העלא) [Yiddish]

• Bonjou [Haitian]

• Namaskāra (নমস্কার) [Bengali]

• Ciao [Italian]

• Bonjour [French]

• Mrhban (مرحبًا) [Arabic]

• Ẹ n lẹ [Yoruba]

#TopTenSpokenNewYork

Love!!!

Many languages had multiple words for “love” distinguishing between romantic love and a broader sense of love (e.g., for family, friends, etc.).

• Love [English]

• Amor [Spanish]

• Ài (爱) [Mandarin]

• Lyubov' (любовь) [Russian]

• Libe (ליבע) [Yiddish]

• Lanmou [Haitian]

• Bhālabāsā (ভালবাসা) [Bengali]

• Amore [Italian]

• Amour [French]

• Hub (حُبّ) [Arabic]

• Ifẹ [Yoruba]

Whenever we discover a linguistic kinship (e.g., “love” in Spanish, Italian and French), it feels like we unlocked a door to a secret portal... perhaps to our future?

#TopTenSpokenNewYork

We strive to build solidarity through the art of translation.

View Say ¿Qué? Designs

Thank you [Gracias, Xièxiè (谢谢), Spasibo (Спасибо), Dank ir (דאנק איר), Mèsi, Dhan'yabāda (ধন্যবাদ), Grazie, Merci, Shkran lak (شكرًا لك), E dupe] for reading!

*Data was downloaded from the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Community Survey and confirmed by comparing to Data USA (New York State (2022)). For each language, we selected the flag of the country of the largest diaspora residing in the state. We determined this by analyzing the birthplace data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For example, for the #TopTenSpokenNY design, for Spanish, we used the beautiful flag of the Dominican Republic. If you have suggestions to help us improve our translations, please let us know via connect@villagevalues.org or our form. Thank you!