diff --git a/ratel/fulltext.go b/ratel/fulltext.go
index 266d481..d8622bd 100644
--- a/ratel/fulltext.go
+++ b/ratel/fulltext.go
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ type Words struct {
 	wordMap map[string]struct{}
 }
 
+// FulltextIndex adds serials to the list of serials associated with a given word so a free text
+// search can find text events with specific words and in sequences in the events. This only has
+// to be done one time per event so it stores the serial of the newest index it has already done
+// in a special key.
 func (r *T) FulltextIndex() (err error) {
 	r.WG.Add(1)
 	defer r.WG.Done()
diff --git a/ratel/keys/kinder/kind.go b/ratel/keys/kinder/kind.go
index 4762790..9be6d37 100644
--- a/ratel/keys/kinder/kind.go
+++ b/ratel/keys/kinder/kind.go
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"io"
 
+	"golang.org/x/exp/constraints"
+
 	"realy.lol/chk"
 	"realy.lol/kind"
 	"realy.lol/ratel/keys"
@@ -20,7 +22,7 @@ type T struct {
 var _ keys.Element = &T{}
 
 // New creates a new kinder.T for reading/writing kind.T values.
-func New[V uint16 | uint32 | int32 | uint64 | int64 | int](c V) (p *T) { return &T{Val: kind.New(c)} }
+func New[V constraints.Integer](c V) (p *T) { return &T{Val: kind.New(c)} }
 
 func Make(c *kind.T) (v []byte) {
 	v = make([]byte, Len)
diff --git a/ratel/keys/lang/lang.go b/ratel/keys/lang/lang.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..62d9cb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ratel/keys/lang/lang.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+// Package lang implements a keys.Element for an ISO-639-2 3 letter language code.
+package lang
+
+import (
+	"io"
+
+	"realy.lol/chk"
+	"realy.lol/ratel/keys"
+)
+
+const Len = 3
+
+type T struct {
+	Val []byte
+}
+
+var _ keys.Element = &T{}
+
+// New creates a new kinder.T for reading/writing kind.T values.
+func New[V string | []byte](c V) (p *T) {
+	if len(c) != Len {
+		return &T{Val: make([]byte, Len)}
+	}
+	return &T{Val: []byte(c)}
+}
+
+func (c *T) Write(buf io.Writer) {
+	buf.Write(c.Val)
+}
+
+func (c *T) Read(buf io.Reader) (el keys.Element) {
+	c.Val = make([]byte, Len)
+	if n, err := buf.Read(c.Val); chk.E(err) || n != Len {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return c
+}
+
+func (c *T) Len() int { return Len }
diff --git a/ratel/keys/lang/lang_test.go b/ratel/keys/lang/lang_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ead4bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ratel/keys/lang/lang_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package lang
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"testing"
+
+	"realy.lol/kind"
+)
+
+func TestT(t *testing.T) {
+	n := kind.New(1059)
+	v := New(n.ToU16())
+	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	v.Write(buf)
+	buf2 := bytes.NewBuffer(buf.Bytes())
+	v2 := New(0)
+	el := v2.Read(buf2).(*T)
+	if el.Val.ToU16() != n.ToU16() {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %d got %d", n, el.Val)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/ratel/langindex.go b/ratel/langindex.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a76d32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ratel/langindex.go
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+package ratel
+
+import (
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/dgraph-io/badger/v4"
+
+	"realy.lol/chk"
+	"realy.lol/event"
+	"realy.lol/kind"
+	"realy.lol/log"
+	"realy.lol/ratel/keys/lang"
+	"realy.lol/ratel/keys/serial"
+	"realy.lol/ratel/prefixes"
+	"realy.lol/tag"
+)
+
+type Langs struct {
+	ser   *serial.T
+	langs []string
+}
+
+// LangIndex searches through events for language tags and stores a LangIndex key containing the
+// ISO-639-2 language code and serial to search for text events by language.
+func (r *T) LangIndex() (err error) {
+	r.WG.Add(1)
+	defer r.WG.Done()
+	log.I.F("indexing language tags")
+	defer log.I.F("finished indexing language tags")
+	langChan := make(chan Langs)
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			select {
+			case <-r.Ctx.Done():
+				return
+			case l := <-langChan:
+				if len(l.langs) < 1 {
+					continue
+				}
+				log.I.S("making lang index for %d %v", l.ser.Uint64(), l.langs)
+			retry:
+				if err = r.Update(func(txn *badger.Txn) (err error) {
+					for _, v := range l.langs {
+						select {
+						case <-r.Ctx.Done():
+							return
+						default:
+						}
+						key := prefixes.LangIndex.Key(lang.New(v), l.ser)
+						if err = txn.Set(key, nil); chk.E(err) {
+							return
+						}
+						return
+					}
+					return
+				}); chk.E(err) {
+					time.Sleep(time.Second / 4)
+					goto retry
+				}
+
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+	var last *serial.T
+	if err = r.View(func(txn *badger.Txn) (err error) {
+		var item *badger.Item
+		if item, err = txn.Get(prefixes.LangLastIndexed.Key()); chk.E(err) {
+			return
+		}
+		var val []byte
+		if val, err = item.ValueCopy(nil); chk.E(err) {
+			return
+		}
+		last = serial.New(val)
+		return
+	}); chk.E(err) {
+	}
+	if last == nil {
+		last = serial.New(serial.Make(0))
+	}
+	if err = r.Update(func(txn *badger.Txn) (err error) {
+		it := txn.NewIterator(badger.IteratorOptions{Prefix: prefixes.Event.Key()})
+		defer it.Close()
+		for it.Seek(prefixes.Event.Key(last)); it.Valid(); it.Next() {
+			item := it.Item()
+			k := item.KeyCopy(nil)
+			ser := serial.New(k[1:])
+			log.I.F("lang index scanning %d", ser.Uint64())
+			if ser.Uint64() < last.Uint64() {
+				k = k[:0]
+				log.I.F("already done %d", ser.Uint64())
+				continue
+			}
+			var val []byte
+			if val, err = item.ValueCopy(nil); chk.E(err) {
+				continue
+			}
+			ev := &event.T{}
+			if _, err = r.Unmarshal(ev, val); chk.E(err) {
+				return
+			}
+			langs := r.GetLangTags(ev)
+			lprf := prefixes.LangLastIndexed.Key()
+			if err = txn.Set(lprf, ser.Val); chk.E(err) {
+				return
+			}
+			if len(langs) > 0 {
+				l := Langs{ser: ser, langs: langs}
+				log.I.S(l)
+				langChan <- l
+			}
+			select {
+			case <-r.Ctx.Done():
+				log.I.F("context closed")
+				return
+			default:
+			}
+		}
+		return
+	}); chk.E(err) {
+		return
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+func (r *T) GetLangTags(ev *event.T) (langs []string) {
+	if ev.Kind.OneOf(kind.TextNote, kind.Article) {
+		tgs := ev.Tags.GetAll(tag.New("l"))
+		tgsl := tgs.ToStringsSlice()
+		for _, v := range tgsl {
+			for _, w := range LanguageCodes {
+				if v[1] == w.ISO639_1 || v[1] == w.ISO639_2 {
+					langs = append(langs, w.ISO639_2)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return
+}
diff --git a/ratel/prefixes/prefixes.go b/ratel/prefixes/prefixes.go
index 6b0fcb8..61ae6f5 100644
--- a/ratel/prefixes/prefixes.go
+++ b/ratel/prefixes/prefixes.go
@@ -127,10 +127,16 @@ const (
 	// [ 16 ] [ 8 byte serial ]
 	FulltextLastIndexed
 
-	// LangIndex is an index of events with language tags.
+	// LangIndex is an index of events with language tags. These use ISO639-2 3-letter codes
+	// regardless of if there is ISO639-1 codes because they cover more languages and are less
+	// ambiguous.
 	//
-	// [ 17 ][
+	// [ 17 ][ ISO639-2 code ][ serial ]
 	LangIndex
+
+	// LangLastIndexed is a progress cursor for the LangIndex that marks the newest index that
+	// has been scanned for an l language tag
+	LangLastIndexed
 )
 
 // FilterPrefixes is a slice of the prefixes used by filter index to enable a loop
diff --git a/ratel/saveevent.go b/ratel/saveevent.go
index 63efffd..fff9be7 100644
--- a/ratel/saveevent.go
+++ b/ratel/saveevent.go
@@ -129,6 +129,9 @@ func (r *T) SaveEvent(c context.T, ev *event.T) (err error) {
 	if err = r.FulltextIndex(); chk.E(err) {
 		return
 	}
+	if err = r.LangIndex(); chk.E(err) {
+		return
+	}
 	return
 }
 
diff --git a/realy/init.go b/realy/init.go
index 6656ea5..3a436e0 100644
--- a/realy/init.go
+++ b/realy/init.go
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ func (s *Server) Init() {
 	}
 	go func() {
 		chk.E(s.Store.FulltextIndex())
+		chk.E(s.Store.LangIndex())
 	}()
 }
 
diff --git a/store/store_interface.go b/store/store_interface.go
index 47b1058..629e26c 100644
--- a/store/store_interface.go
+++ b/store/store_interface.go
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ type I interface {
 	EventIdSerialer
 	Accountant
 	Fulltexter
+	Languager
 }
 
 type Initer interface {
@@ -131,3 +132,7 @@ type EventIdSerialer interface {
 type Fulltexter interface {
 	FulltextIndex() (err error)
 }
+
+type Languager interface {
+	LangIndex() (err error)
+}