---
title: Language
description: Returns the Language object for the given site.
categories: []
keywords: []
params:
functions_and_methods:
returnType: langs.Language
signatures: [SITE.Language]
---
The `Language` method on a `Site` object returns the `Language` object for the given site, derived from the language definition in your project configuration.
You can also use the `Language` method on a `Page` object. See [details][].
## Methods
Use these methods on the `Language` object.
The examples below assume the following language definition.
{{< code-toggle file=hugo >}}
[languages.de]
direction = 'ltr'
label = 'Deutsch'
locale = 'de-DE'
weight = 2
{{< /code-toggle >}}
`Direction`
: {{< new-in 0.158.0 />}}
: (`string`) Returns the [`direction`][] from the language definition.
```go-html-template
{{ .Site.Language.Direction }} → ltr
```
`IsDefault`
: {{< new-in 0.153.0 />}}
: (`bool`) Reports whether this is the [default language](g).
```go-html-template
{{ .Site.Language.IsDefault }} → true
```
`Label`
: {{< new-in 0.158.0 />}}
: (`string`) Returns the [`label`][] from the language definition.
```go-html-template
{{ .Site.Language.Label }} → Deutsch
```
`Lang`
: {{}}
: Use [`Name`](#name) instead.
`LanguageCode`
: {{}}
: Use [`Locale`](#locale) instead.
`LanguageDirection`
: {{}}
: Use [`Direction`](#direction) instead.
`LanguageName`
: {{}}
: Use [`Label`](#label) instead.
`Locale`
: {{< new-in 0.158.0 />}}
: (`string`) Returns the [`locale`][] from the language definition, falling back to [`Name`](#name).
```go-html-template
{{ .Site.Language.Locale }} → de-DE
```
`Name`
: {{< new-in 0.153.0 />}}
: (`string`) Returns the language tag as defined by [RFC 5646][]. This is the lowercased key from the language definition.
```go-html-template
{{ .Site.Language.Name }} → de
```
`Weight`
: {{}}
## Example
Some of the methods above are commonly used in a base template as attributes for the `html` element.
```go-html-template
```
[RFC 5646]: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc5646
[`direction`]: /configuration/languages/#direction
[`label`]: /configuration/languages/#label
[`locale`]: /configuration/languages/#locale
[details]: /methods/page/language/