Dutch Language
Nederlands
Linguistic Classification Dutch is a West Germanic language, closely related to English and German.
Number of Speakers Approximately 25 million people speak Dutch as their first language, with an additional 5 million speaking it as a second language.
Official Status Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, and several Caribbean islands, including Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.
Writing System Utilizes the Latin alphabet, consisting of 26 letters, with the addition of the digraphs 'ij' and 'ei', which are considered separate letters in Dutch orthography.