Kurmancî

Kurdish

Iranian

FamilyIranian Speakers~30M ScriptLatin/Arabic CountriesTurkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria Official inIraq (regional) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3kur

Kurdish (Kurdî) is the conventional name for a set of closely related Iranian language varieties in the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European, spoken chiefly across parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria and in diaspora communities. In this linguistic classification, Iranian names a broad historical language branch that also includes Persian, Pashto, and others; Kurdish is not a form of Persian. The largest literary standards are Kurmanji, written mainly in a Latin-based alphabet in Turkey and Syria, and Sorani, commonly written in a modified Arabic-based alphabet in Iraq and Iran; Southern Kurdish comprises additional varieties. The varieties differ substantially in phonology and grammar and are not always readily mutually intelligible. Kurdish and Arabic are Iraq’s two official languages under the 2005 constitution, while Kurdish recognition and schooling vary elsewhere.

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Kurdish

Water

av

/ɑːv/

Fire

agir

/ɑɡɪɾ/

Sun

roj

/ɾoːʒ/

Moon

heyv

/hejv/

Star

stêrk

/stɛːɾk/

Mother

/dɛː/

Father

bav

/bɑːv/

I

ez

/ɛz/

You

tu

/tu/

Name

nav

/nav/

Eye

çav

/tʃɑːv/

Hand

dest

/dɛst/

Heart

dil

/dɪl/

Love

evîn

/ɛviːn/

Tree

dar

/dɑːɾ/

House

mal

/mɑːl/

Dog

kûçik

/kuːtʃɪk/

Cat

pisîk

/pɪsiːk/

Eat

xwarin

/xwɑːɾɪn/

Drink

vexwarin

/vɛxwɑːɾɪn/

One

yek

/jɛk/

Two

du

/du/

Hello

silav

/sɪlɑːv/

Thank you

spas

/spɑːs/

Good

baş

/bɑːʃ/

Cuckoo

pepûk

/pɛˈpuːk/

Computer

komputer

/komputɛɾ/

Sushi

sûşî

/suːʃiː/

Dopamine

dopamîn

/dopaˈmiːn/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Iranian languages

Meaning KurdishKurdish (Sorani)Southern KurdishLurishZazaPersianDari
Water av /ɑːv/ ئاو /ɑːw/ ئاو /ɑːw/ او /ɒw/ aw /aw/ آب /ɒːb/ آب /ɑːb/
Fire agir /ɑɡɪɾ/ ئاگر /ɑːɡɪɾ/ ئاگر /ɑːɡɪɾ/ تش /tæʃ/ adır /aˈdɯɾ/ آتش /ɒːtæʃ/ آتش /ɑːtaʃ/
Sun roj /ɾoːʒ/ خۆر /xoːɾ/ رۆژ /ɾoʒ/ هور /hor/ tîj /tiːʒ/ خورشید /xorʃiːd/ خورشید /xoɾʃed/
Moon heyv /hejv/ مانگ /mɑːŋɡ/ ماهنگ /mɑːhænɡ/ مانگ /mɒːŋɡ/ aşmî /aʃˈmiː/ ماه /mɒːh/ ماه /mɑːh/
Star stêrk /stɛːɾk/ ئەستێرە /ʔæsteːɾæ/ ئەستارە /æstaːɾæ/ ستاره /esˈtɑːɾe/ astare /asˈtaːre/ ستاره /setɒːˈɾe/ ستاره /setaːˈɾa/
Mother /dɛː/ دایک /dɑːjɪk/ دالگ /dɑːlɡ/ دا /dɒː/ maye /ˈmajɛ/ مادر /mɒːdær/ مادر /mɑːdaɾ/
Father bav /bɑːv/ باوک /bɑːwk/ باوگ /bɑːwɡ/ بُوَا /buwɒː/ /piː/ پدر /pedær/ پدر /padaɾ/
I ez /ɛz/ من /mɪn/ من /mɪn/ مه /me/ ez /ɛz/ من /man/ من /man/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Kurdish
Ez dixwazim cil û bergek ku li dikanek li hember otêlê dîtim biceribînim
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

Kurdish
Ez dixwazim cil û bergek ku li dikanek li hember otêlê dîtim biceribînim
من دەمەوێ جلێک کە لە دوکانێک بەرامبەر هۆتێل بینیم بیپۆشم
زه غواړم یو سوټ چې په دوکان کې مخامخ هوټل مې ولید وازمایم
من می‌خواهم کت و شلواری که در مغازه‌ای روبروی هتل دیدم امتحان کنم

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