The Belarusian language, often referred to as “Belarusian,” is the official language of Belarus, a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is also spoken by Belarusian communities in neighbouring countries and in diaspora communities around the world.

Belarusian is a Slavic language, belonging to the East Slavic branch, which includes Russian and Ukrainian. It has its roots in the historical region of Belarus, which has a long and complex cultural history.

The language has evolved over the centuries, influenced by neighbouring languages and cultures. It is written using the Cyrillic script, which is also used for Russian and several other Slavic languages. Belarusian has a phonetic orthography, meaning that words are generally written as they are pronounced.

Throughout its history, Belarusian has faced challenges in terms of language policies and political influence. During periods of foreign rule and linguistic assimilation efforts, particularly under the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, Russian was promoted at the expense of Belarusian.