Do you know that Kurdish is written with not one, however two fully totally different alphabets? The Kurdish alphabet stands as a captivating bridge between East and West, reflecting the complicated historical past and geography of the Kurdish individuals.
This information breaks down each Kurdish alphabets, explains their pronunciation challenges, and supplies sensible workouts that will help you grasp these distinctive writing programs.
Getting began with the Kurdish alphabet
The Kurdish alphabet consists of two major writing programs: A Latin-based script and an Arabic-based script.
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Regional distribution: The selection of script follows political boundaries greater than linguistic ones, with Turkey and Syria utilizing Latin script whereas Iraq and Iran use Arabic script.
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Historic growth: The Latin alphabet was standardized within the Thirties by linguist Jeladet Ali Bedirxan, whereas the Arabic script advanced by Persian influences.
Latin-based script defined
The Latin-based Kurdish alphabet comprises 31 letters (8 vowels and 23 consonants). This technique, additionally known as the Hawar or Bedirxan alphabet, was designed to symbolize Kurdish sounds precisely and consists of letters absent from Turkish like Q, W, and X.
Every letter corresponds to a particular sound, making the system comparatively simple for learners. The alphabet consists of customary Latin letters plus characters with diacritical marks that symbolize Kurdish’s distinctive phonological options.
The whole alphabet is:
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A a – as in “automotive”
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B b – as in “boy”
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C c – as in “jam”
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Ç ç – as in “chess”
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D d – as in “canine”
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E e – as in “mattress”
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Ê ê – as in “air” or “bear” (lengthy “e”)
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F f – as in “fish”
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G g – as in “go”
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H h – as in “hat”
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I i – as in “bit” (brief “i”)
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Î î – as in “see” (lengthy “ee”)
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J j – as in “measure” (zh sound)
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Ok ok – as in “kite”
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L l – as in “love”
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M m – as in “man”
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N n – as in “no”
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O o – as in “extra”
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P p – as in “pen”
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Q q – deeper “ok”, like Arabic “qāf” (ق)
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R r – rolled “r” (like in Spanish)
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S s – as in “solar”
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Ş ş – as in “shoe” (sh sound)
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T t – as in “prime”
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U u – as in “put”
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Û û – as in “moon” (oo sound)
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V v – as in “van”
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W w – as in “water”
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X x – as in German “Bach” or Arabic “khā’” (خ)
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Y y – as in “sure”
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Z z – as in “zebra”
Quick vowels
Kurdish distinguishes between brief and lengthy vowels, which impacts each that means and pronunciation. The brief vowels within the Latin script are:
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E e: Pronounced like ‘e’ in “mattress” (ber that means “door”)
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I i: Just like ‘i’ in “bit” (bir that means “nicely”)
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U u: Like ‘u’ in “put” (kul that means “lake”)
These vowels are pronounced rapidly and sometimes seem in unstressed syllables. Mixing them up can change phrase meanings completely.
Lengthy vowels
Lengthy vowels in Kurdish are held longer when spoken and sometimes carry stress in phrases:
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A a: Just like ‘a’ in “father” (av that means “water”)
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Ê ê: Like ‘ai’ in “truthful” (kêr that means “knife”)
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Î î: Just like ‘ee’ in “see” (pîr that means “outdated”)
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O o: Like ‘o’ in “extra” (zor that means “a lot”)
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Û û: Just like ‘oo’ in “boot” (çû that means “went”)
The diacritical marks on Ê, Î, and Û point out their longer pronunciation. Mastering these distinctions is essential for clear communication.
Arabic-based script defined
The Arabic-based Kurdish script used for Sorani comprises roughly 33 letters tailored from Persian script. In contrast to customary Arabic, this script writes all vowels, making it extra accessible to learners.
This writing system reads from proper to left and has been modified considerably to symbolize Kurdish sounds that don’t exist in Arabic. These diversifications embrace new letters for ‘p’, ‘v’, and ‘g’ sounds.
The alphabet is:
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ا – “a” as in “automotive”
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ە – “e” as in “mattress”
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ب – “b” as in “boy”
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پ – “p” as in “pen”
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ت – “t” as in “prime”
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ج – “j” as in “jam”
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چ – “ch” as in “chess”
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ح – deep “h” (pharyngeal, no English equal)
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خ – “kh” as in German “Bach” or Arabic “خ”
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د – “d” as in “canine”
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ر – “r” as in “crimson”
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ڕ – rolled “r” (like in Spanish)
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ز – “z” as in “zebra”
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ژ – “zh” as in “measure”
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س – “s” as in “solar”
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ش – “sh” as in “shoe”
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ع – “ʿ” (voiced pharyngeal, no English equal)
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غ – “gh” (French “r” in “Paris”)
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ف – “f” as in “fish”
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ڤ – “v” as in “van”
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ق – deep “ok”, like Arabic “qāf”
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ک – “ok” as in “kite”
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گ – “g” as in “go”
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ل – “l” as in “love”
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ڵ – darkish “l”, like “l” in “chilly”
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م – “m” as in “man”
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ن – “n” as in “no”
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ه – “h” as in “hat”
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ۆ – “o” as in “extra”
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و – “w” or “u” as in “put” (relying on context)
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ی – “y” as in “sure”
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ێ – “ey” as in “they”
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ۊ – “u” as in “put” (utilized in some Sorani dialects, included as customary letter in 33-letter depend)
Particular vowels
The Sorani Kurdish script has a number of distinctive vowel characters:
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ە: Represents the brief ‘e’ sound, as in “mattress”
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ۆ: Represents the ‘o’ sound, as in “extra”
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و: Capabilities as each the consonant ‘w’ and the vowel ‘u’
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ی: Represents each the consonant ‘y’ and the vowel ‘i’
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ێ: Represents the lengthy ‘ê’ sound, as in “truthful”
These distinct vowel representations make Sorani Kurdish extra exact than customary Arabic, which generally omits brief vowels in writing.
Distinctive consonants
A number of consonants within the Arabic-based Kurdish script symbolize sounds particular to Kurdish:
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ڕ: A strongly rolled ‘r’ sound, distinct from the common ‘r’ (ر)
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پ: Represents the ‘p’ sound (absent in Arabic)
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گ: Represents the ‘g’ sound (absent in Arabic)
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ڤ: Represents the ‘v’ sound (used primarily in loanwords)
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چ: Represents the ‘ch’ sound, as in “church”
These distinctive consonants assist distinguish Kurdish from Arabic and Persian regardless of utilizing the same script base.
5 frequent errors with the Kurdish alphabet
1. Mixing up Q and Ok
Many learners confuse Q (a deep, uvular sound) with Ok (a daily velar cease). The distinction is in throat place – Q is produced deeper within the throat than Ok.
Follow with minimal pairs like qelem (pen) versus kelem (cabbage). Exaggerate the throat place when saying Q phrases till you possibly can really feel and listen to the excellence constantly.
2. Complicated X with H
The letter X represents a guttural sound (like German “Bach”), whereas H is a daily aspirated sound. This distinction is difficult for audio system of languages with out the X sound.
Strive training phrases like xew (sleep) versus hew (simply). Give attention to producing the X sound from deeper in your throat, creating extra friction as you exhale.
3. Overlooking vowel size
Failing to differentiate between brief and lengthy vowels adjustments phrase meanings completely. For instance, ker (donkey) versus kêr (knife) differ solely in vowel size.
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Studying technique: Create flashcards with minimal pairs differentiated solely by vowel size and apply them every day.
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Pronunciation tip: Exaggerate the size distinction till it turns into pure in your speech.
4. Omitting diacritics
When writing Kurdish in Latin script, learners usually overlook diacritical marks on letters like Ê, Î, and Û. These marks aren’t ornamental – they symbolize distinct sounds.
Make it a behavior to double-check your writing for lacking diacritics. For digital writing, set up a Kurdish keyboard format to make including these marks simpler.
5. Misreading Arabic-based letters
Within the Arabic script, distinguishing between similar-looking letters like ڕ (rolled r) and ر (common r) causes confusion for inexperienced persons.
Follow writing these letters repeatedly to internalize their shapes. Create visible associations – for instance, be aware that ڕ has an additional dot in comparison with ر.
Follow Kurdish alphabet with workouts
Fill-in-the-blank
Full these frequent Kurdish phrases by inserting the proper vowel or consonant:
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_b_r (door): Which vowel completes this noun?
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p_r (outdated): Insert the proper lengthy vowel.
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k_l (lake): Which brief vowel belongs right here?
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_av (water): What letter begins this important phrase?
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ç_ (went): Which lengthy vowel completes this verb?
Strive writing your solutions in each scripts in case you’re studying each. This reinforces connections between the writing programs and strengthens your recognition abilities.
Quick dictation
Discover a brief Kurdish audio clip (1-2 sentences) from a studying useful resource. Pay attention rigorously, then:
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Write what you hear utilizing your most popular script
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Test your reply in opposition to a transcript
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Observe any spelling or sound recognition errors
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Pay attention once more, specializing in sounds you misheard
Begin with sluggish, clear recordings earlier than transferring to pure speech. Focus particularly on distinguishing related seems like q/ok, x/h, and brief/lengthy vowels.
Studying made simpler with Preply
Mastering the Kurdish alphabet turns into extra manageable with structured steerage and common apply. The distinctive sounds and twin writing programs current distinctive challenges which are finest addressed by customized instruction.
A Kurdish language tutor can present focused assist with pronunciation, particularly for sounds that don’t exist in your native language. They will appropriate errors in real-time and create tailor-made workouts on your particular studying wants.
Working with a Preply on-line Kurdish tutor offers you the benefit of customized suggestions and constant apply – two important components for efficiently mastering the Kurdish alphabet and pronunciation.
Solutions to Kurdish alphabet workouts
Solutions to fill-in-the-blank
Listed here are the proper solutions to the fill-in-the-blank train:
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ber (door): The lacking vowel is e, a brief vowel frequent in on a regular basis Kurdish nouns.
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pîr (outdated): The lengthy vowel î completes this phrase, pronounced just like “peer” in English.
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kul (lake): The brief vowel u belongs right here, pronounced just like the “u” in “put.”
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av (water): The preliminary letter is a, a typical vowel in Kurdish nature vocabulary.
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çû (went): The lengthy vowel û completes this previous tense verb, pronounced like “oo” in “boot.”
These phrases reveal the significance of vowel distinctions in Kurdish. Follow saying every accomplished phrase aloud to strengthen the sound-spelling connection.
Discover a Preply tutor and begin studying in the present day.