---
name: "locale.alias"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "belocs-locales-data"
version: "2.3.4-7sarge2"
release: "Debian 3.1 (Sarge)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/locale.alias"
---

# locale.alias(5)

Locale name alias data base

## NAME

locale.alias - Locale name alias data base

## DESCRIPTION

The locale.alias database file (/etc/locale.alias) is used by the **locale** command and the  **X Window System** It describes aliases for the locales, with each line being of the form

\<alias\> \<localename\>

Where \<localename\> is in the POSIX format: xx\_YY.CHARSET. The first two letters *xx* are the ISO-639 Language code,\
  the next two *YY* are the ISO-3166 Country code,  and the Charset is one of the  character sets (listed in  */usr/share/i18n/charsets* ). The aliases can be free text; they are normally the English language name, or simpler versions of the POSIX locale name.

Lines beginning with Hash ("#") are treated as comments and ignored.

## SEE ALSO

[locale(1)](/locale/1.md), [localedef(1)](/localedef/1.md), [locale-gen(8)](/locale-gen/8.md),  [locale.gen(5)](/locale.gen/5.md)

## AUTHOR

Alastair McKinstry \<mckinstry@computer.org\>