The Kurdish Script

Many people are visual learners and it’s helpful for them to see a language written as they are learning it. Others may know Sorani Kurdish already but may never have learned to read and write in the Kurdish script. Others still may just be interested in the Kurdish alphabet and how it works.

Here are some of the basics about the Kurdish script:

• Sorani Kurdish uses a script based on the Arabic alphabet.
• It is written from right to left.
• Unlike Arabic and Persian, all vowels are written out in Sorani Kurdish with the exception of the short i, /ɪ/, which is assumed to be pronounced between two consonants.
• Letters may be written in up to four different ways, depending on their position in a word. Letters can take different shapes depending on whether they are at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, or if they stand on their own.
• Many letters attach to those around them, similar to cursive writing in English. Other letters don’t attach to those written before and / or after them, even in the same word.
• There are no capital letters.
• Unlike words and letters, numbers are written from left to right.

Here is a table of the full Kurdish alphabet.

Here are some examples of writing in the Kurdish script. This table illustrates each letter and its sound with an example word.

This is a lot to take in, but with a little practice you can learn to read and write the Sorani Kurdish script too! If you’re ready to get started, see our page on how to learn to read and write the Kurdish alphabet.