Locale Nl Nl

Reference data for the Dutch (Netherlands) locale — endonym Nederlands (Nederland), written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: nl-NL
• ISO 639-1: nl
• ISO 639-3: nld
• Script: Latn (Latin)
• Region: NL (Netherlands)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 17,000,000
• L2 (additional): 800,000
• L1+L2 (total): 17,800,000

Base locale

This is a regional variant of Locale Nl 001 (Dutch), the base/macro locale for this language.

Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: one, other (2 forms).

• one — i = 1 and v = 0 (e.g. 1)
• other — everything else (e.g. 0, 2~16, 100, 1000, …)

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Apply Locale Nl 001 with the conventions of the Netherlands.

• Register: "je/jij" is the default for consumer content, with "u" for formal sectors.
• Vocabulary: Dutch-Netherlands usage ("mobiel" or "telefoon" for a mobile phone, "e-mailadres"); official terms follow Dutch government usage.
• Formats: euro, written "€ 12,50" in common usage; day-month-year; 24-hour clock; decimal comma.
• Tone: direct, informal, and brief; humor is more common than in Belgium.

Common pitfalls

• Using Flemish forms ("GSM", "gij", "ge") in material for the Netherlands.
• Overly formal wording.
• The general pitfalls in Locale Nl 001 also apply.

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.
• Taalunie, Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal (https://woordenlijst.org)
• Microsoft Localization Style Guide, Dutch (https://aka.ms/dutch-styleguide)