Locale Lv 001

Reference data for the Latvian locale — endonym Latviešu, written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: lv-001
• ISO 639-1: lv
• ISO 639-3: lav
• Script: Latn (Latin)
• Region: 001 (World)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 1,500,000
• L2 (additional): 600,000
• L1+L2 (total): 2,100,000

Regional variants

This is the base/macro locale for Latvian. Region-specific variants in this dataset:

• Locale Lv Lv (Latvian (Latvia))

Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: zero, one, other (3 forms).

• zero — n % 10 = 0 or n % 100 = 11..19 or v = 2 and f % 100 = 11..19 (e.g. 0, 10~20, 30, 40, …)
• one — n % 10 = 1 and n % 100 != 11 or v = 2 and f % 10 = 1 and f % 100 != 11 or v != 2 and f % 10 = 1 (e.g. 1, 21, 31, 41, …)
• other — everything else (e.g. 2~9, 22~29, 102, 1002, …)

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Latvian is a Baltic language written in the Latin alphabet with ā, č, ē, ģ, ī, ķ, ļ, ņ, š, ū, ž. The Latvian Language Agency (Latviešu valodas aģentūra) and the Latvian Language Institute maintain the norm. See Locale Lv Lv.

Translate ideas, not words.

• Latvian is inflected, with seven cases and two genders (masculine and feminine). Restructure English sentences; do not translate word for word.
• Latvian prefers verbs and simple clauses. English noun stacks become genitive chains or compounds.
• Re-express idioms by meaning.

Grammar that trips translators.

• Plurals have three categories: zero, one, and other (0 faili, 1 fails, 21 fails, 2 faili). The one category covers numbers ending in 1 except 11. See Unicode Messageformat.
• Names and loanwords are declined and take gender endings (Jānis becomes Jāņa in the genitive); women's surnames take -a or -e (Bērziņa). Forms must collect and show the gender-correct form.
• Verbs agree with the subject in person and number; the debitive mood (jāsaglabā) expresses necessity.

Register.

• Tu (informal) and jūs (polite or plural). Public text, banking, and customer service use jūs; consumer brands often use tu. Do not mix.
• UI commands use the imperative (Saglabājiet with jūs, Saglabā with tu) or the infinitive.

Orthography and typography.

• Use the macrons and cedillas (ā, ē, ī, ū, ģ, ķ, ļ, ņ); never replace them with ASCII.
• Quotation marks „…“; dates 2026. gada 17. oktobris or 17.10.2026.; decimal comma; non-breaking space for thousands; currency 12,50 €.
• Follow the State Language Centre's requirements for official content in Latvia.

Common pitfalls

• Dropping macrons and cedillas.
• Using Russian forms.
• Wrong plural category (one versus other for numbers ending in 11).
• Not declining names.
• Mixing tu and jūs.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• Latviešu valodas aģentūra (https://valoda.lv) and the State Language Centre (Valsts valodas centrs)
• Microsoft Localization Style Guide, Latvian (https://aka.ms/latvian-styleguide)