navigator.language is a read-only property that returns a string for the user’s preferred language — usually the browser UI language — as a BCP 47 tag (MDN). Examples: en, en-US, fr-FR.
Read the notes below before you rely on this property. Prefer feature detection when support is limited.
Use navigator.language. Start with this line.
navigator.language| Call | What it does |
|---|---|
navigator.language | Primary signature. |
Built into the browser. Read navigator.language on Navigator — no import required.
navigator.language| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Intl.* | Optional. Locale-aware formatting |
| languagechange | Optional. Fires on window when prefs change |
| Return Value | Description |
|---|---|
| * | BCP 47 string (e.g. en-US) |
Log the preferred BCP 47 language tag.
const tag = navigator.language;
console.log(tag);navigator.language returns a string.en or en-US (MDN).Intl or i18n loaders.languagesCompare the single preferred tag with the full preference list.
const primary = navigator.language;
const list = navigator.languages;
console.log("language: " + primary);
console.log("languages[0]: " + list[0]);
console.log("match: " + (primary === list[0]));language is one tag; languages is an array.language is typically the first languages entry.Format a date with the user’s preferred language (MDN pattern).
const date = new Date("2012-05-24");
const formatted = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(navigator.language).format(date);
console.log(formatted);Intl.DateTimeFormat(navigator.language) (MDN).format. Output follows that locale’s date rules.NumberFormat and friends.Navigator.language is Baseline Widely available on MDN (since about July 2015). No Experimental, Deprecated, or Non-standard status.
Supported across modern Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and Opera. Safe to use for locale hints without feature detection in current browsers.
Bottom line: Read the BCP 47 tag, pass it to Intl when needed, and use languages when you need a preference list.
Learn navigator.languages for the full preference list.
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