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Infographic: Southeast Asia's Oldest Languages

Literacy reaches mainland Southeast Asia by the third century CE, but not in any local language. The earliest confirmed inscriptions in the region are carved in

Akhyari Hananto
Akhyari Hananto
August 8, 2026 11:36 AM GMT+7
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Data Sources

  • Compiled from regional epigraphic scholarship and historical linguistics. Some dates, particularly for Old Mon, Pyu and the Ramkhamhaeng inscription, remain subjects of ongoing academic debate.

Literacy reaches mainland Southeast Asia by the third century CE, but not in any local language. The earliest confirmed inscriptions in the region are carved in Sanskrit, using the Pallava script imported from South India, and record religious or commemorative texts rather than the speech of the people who carved them.

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