> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ycloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Supported WhatsApp template languages

> Choose a Meta-supported language code when you create, manage, or send a WhatsApp template.

## What it is

Every WhatsApp template has a language code. The code identifies the language
and, when applicable, the regional locale of the template content.

Use the same code when you create, retrieve, edit, delete, or send that
localized template. For example, use `en_US` for English (US) and `pt_BR` for
Portuguese (Brazil).

## Before you begin

* Choose the language that matches the template content.
* Use a regional code when Meta provides one for the intended locale.
* Keep the template name and language code together in your application.
* Create and obtain approval for each localized template before sending it.

<Note>
  Meta can update the supported language list. This page reflects the
  [Meta supported languages reference](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/supported-languages),
  updated May 21, 2026.
</Note>

## How it works

1. Select one supported language code.
2. Set the code in the `language` field when you create the template.
3. Wait until that localized template is approved.
4. Use the exact same code in template management and message requests.

Language codes are case-sensitive. Do not replace underscores with hyphens.
For example, send `zh_CN`, not `zh-CN`.

## Supported language codes

### A–F

| Language | Code |
| - | - |
| Afrikaans | `af` |
| Albanian | `sq` |
| Arabic | `ar` |
| Arabic (Egypt) | `ar_EG` |
| Arabic (United Arab Emirates) | `ar_AE` |
| Arabic (Lebanon) | `ar_LB` |
| Arabic (Morocco) | `ar_MA` |
| Arabic (Qatar) | `ar_QA` |
| Azerbaijani | `az` |
| Belarusian | `be_BY` |
| Bengali | `bn` |
| Bengali (India) | `bn_IN` |
| Bulgarian | `bg` |
| Catalan | `ca` |
| Chinese (China) | `zh_CN` |
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | `zh_HK` |
| Chinese (Taiwan) | `zh_TW` |
| Croatian | `hr` |
| Czech | `cs` |
| Danish | `da` |
| Dari | `prs_AF` |
| Dutch | `nl` |
| Dutch (Belgium) | `nl_BE` |
| English | `en` |
| English (United Kingdom) | `en_GB` |
| English (United States) | `en_US` |
| English (United Arab Emirates) | `en_AE` |
| English (Australia) | `en_AU` |
| English (Canada) | `en_CA` |
| English (Ghana) | `en_GH` |
| English (Ireland) | `en_IE` |
| English (India) | `en_IN` |
| English (Jamaica) | `en_JM` |
| English (Malaysia) | `en_MY` |
| English (New Zealand) | `en_NZ` |
| English (Qatar) | `en_QA` |
| English (Singapore) | `en_SG` |
| English (Uganda) | `en_UG` |
| English (South Africa) | `en_ZA` |
| Estonian | `et` |
| Filipino | `fil` |
| Finnish | `fi` |
| French | `fr` |
| French (Belgium) | `fr_BE` |
| French (Canada) | `fr_CA` |
| French (Switzerland) | `fr_CH` |
| French (Côte d’Ivoire) | `fr_CI` |
| French (Morocco) | `fr_MA` |

### G–N

| Language | Code |
| - | - |
| Georgian | `ka` |
| German | `de` |
| German (Austria) | `de_AT` |
| German (Switzerland) | `de_CH` |
| Greek | `el` |
| Gujarati | `gu` |
| Hausa | `ha` |
| Hebrew | `he` |
| Hindi | `hi` |
| Hungarian | `hu` |
| Indonesian | `id` |
| Irish | `ga` |
| Italian | `it` |
| Japanese | `ja` |
| Kannada | `kn` |
| Kazakh | `kk` |
| Kinyarwanda | `rw_RW` |
| Korean | `ko` |
| Kyrgyz (Kyrgyzstan) | `ky_KG` |
| Lao | `lo` |
| Latvian | `lv` |
| Lithuanian | `lt` |
| Macedonian | `mk` |
| Malay | `ms` |
| Malayalam | `ml` |
| Marathi | `mr` |
| Norwegian | `nb` |

### P–Z

| Language | Code |
| - | - |
| Pashto | `ps_AF` |
| Persian | `fa` |
| Polish | `pl` |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | `pt_BR` |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | `pt_PT` |
| Punjabi | `pa` |
| Romanian | `ro` |
| Russian | `ru` |
| Serbian | `sr` |
| Sinhala | `si_LK` |
| Slovak | `sk` |
| Slovenian | `sl` |
| Spanish | `es` |
| Spanish (Argentina) | `es_AR` |
| Spanish (Chile) | `es_CL` |
| Spanish (Colombia) | `es_CO` |
| Spanish (Costa Rica) | `es_CR` |
| Spanish (Dominican Republic) | `es_DO` |
| Spanish (Ecuador) | `es_EC` |
| Spanish (Honduras) | `es_HN` |
| Spanish (Mexico) | `es_MX` |
| Spanish (Panama) | `es_PA` |
| Spanish (Peru) | `es_PE` |
| Spanish (Spain) | `es_ES` |
| Spanish (Uruguay) | `es_UY` |
| Swahili | `sw` |
| Swedish | `sv` |
| Tamil | `ta` |
| Telugu | `te` |
| Thai | `th` |
| Turkish | `tr` |
| Ukrainian | `uk` |
| Urdu | `ur` |
| Uzbek | `uz` |
| Vietnamese | `vi` |
| Zulu | `zu` |

## Request

Set `language` to one code from the table when you create a template.

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl --request POST https://api.ycloud.com/v2/whatsapp/templates \
  --header "X-API-Key: $YCLOUD_API_KEY" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "wabaId": "WABA_ID",
    "name": "order_ready",
    "language": "en_US",
    "category": "UTILITY",
    "components": [
      {
        "type": "BODY",
        "text": "Order {{1}} is ready for pickup.",
        "example": {
          "body_text": [["A-10001"]]
        }
      }
    ]
  }'
```

## Response

```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
{
  "wabaId": "WABA_ID",
  "name": "order_ready",
  "language": "en_US",
  "category": "UTILITY",
  "status": "PENDING",
  "components": [
    {
      "type": "BODY",
      "text": "Order {{1}} is ready for pickup."
    }
  ]
}
```

The response preserves the submitted language code. A `PENDING` template must
complete review before you use it in a message request.

## Common mistakes

* Using a site locale such as `en-US` instead of the template code `en_US`.
* Sending a regional code that does not match the approved template.
* Assuming Meta translates template content automatically.
* Reusing a language code for content written in another language.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Manage templates" icon="rectangle-list" href="/en/api-reference/guides/whatsapp-platform/manage-whatsapp-templates">
    Create, version, review, release, and retire localized templates.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create template API" icon="code" href="/api-reference/whatsapp-templates/create-a-template">
    Inspect the complete request and response schema.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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