Kurdish (Kurdî / کوردی) is the language of the Kurdish people who live in the region known as Kurdistan, which includes parts of four countries Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.
Kurdish is an Indo-European language, part of an enormous language family that includes many languages of the Indian sub-continent and most of the languages of Europe. Its branch of that family includes the other modern languages Persian, Pushtu and Balochi, but none of those are mutually intelligible. Kurdish is completely unrelated to Turkish and Arabic, though it includes some loanwords from those languages.
This phrase book is for the Kurmanji dialect (Northern Kurdish) which covers most of the Bhadinan area of Iraqi Kurdistan and Kurdistan of southern Turkey. Sorani (Central Kurdish) is spoken in most of Iraqi Kurdistan and parts of Iranian Kurdistan, Pehlewani (Southern Kurdish) mostly in Iran. The dialects are not mutually intelligible.
The script of choice for written Kurdish differs according to the country — the Roman alphabet is in use in Turkey and Syria while the Kurds of Iraq and Iran use the Arabic script.
Pronunciation guide
Vowels
Consonants
Common diphthongs
Phrase list
Basics
- Hello.
- Merheba.
- Rojbaş.
- (singular) Roja te bixêr.
- (plural) Roja we bixêr.
- (singular) Dema te xweş bit.
- (plural) Dema we xweş bit.
- How are you?
- (singular) (Tu) çawa yî?
- (plural) Hûn çawa ne?
- Fine, thank you.
- (singular) ((Ez) baş im,) (tu) sax bî.
- (plural) ((Ez) baş im,) (hûn) sax bin.
- What is your name?
- Navê te çi ye?
- My name is ______ .
- Navê min ______ e/ye.
- Nice to meet you.
- Ez gelek kêfxweş bûm.
- Please.
- Zehmet nebe.
- Thank you.
- Spas. : Destxweş bî!
- Thank you very much
- Gelek spas!
- You're welcome.
- Spasxweş! : Ser çava!
- Yes.
- Erê.
- No.
- Na.
- Excuse me. (getting attention)
- Ca bala xwe bide min! : Ji min re binêre!
- Excuse me. (begging pardon)
- Li min bibore/bibihure!
- I'm sorry.
- Li min bibore/bibihure!
- Goodbye!
- (singular) Bi xatirê te! (from him who leaves)
- (plural) Bi xatirê we! (from him who leaves)
- Oxir bit! (to him who leaves)
- Oxira xêrê bit! (to him who leaves)
- (singular) Oxira te ya xêrê bit! (to him who leaves)
- (plural) Oxira we ya xêrê bit! (to him who leaves)
- (singular) (Tu) bi xêr biçî! (to him who leaves)
- (plural) (Hûn) bi xêr biçin! (to him who leaves)
- I don't speak Kurdish.
- Ez (bi) kurdî nizanim.
- Ez (bi) kirmancî nizanim.
- Do you speak English?
- (Ma) tu (bi) inglîzî dizanî?
- Do you speak Kurdish?
- (Ma) tu (bi) kurdî dizanî?
- (Ma) tu (bi) kirmancî dizanî?
- Who speaks English here? / Who here speaks English?
- (Ma) li vê derê kî bi inglîzî dizanit?
- (Ma) li vî cihî kî bi inglîzî dizanit?
- (Ma) kî li vê derê bi inglîzî dizanit?
- (Ma) kî li vî cihî bi inglîzî dizanit?
- Help!
- Hawar!
- Look out!
- Berê xwe bide!
- Good morning.
- Rojbaş! : Beyanîbaş!
- Good evening.
- Êvarbaş!
- Good night.
- Şevbaş! : Şevxweş!
- Good night (to sleep)
- Şevxweş!
- I don't understand you.
- Ez te fehm nakim.
- Where is the toilet?
- (Ma) tuwalet li kû ye?
- (Ma) tuwalet li kî(j) derê ye?
- (Ma) tuwalet li kî(j) cihî ye?
- Right now.
- Anihe.
- I love you.
- (Ez) hez ji te dikim. (pronounced: Es heş te tkim.)
- (Ez) hez ji we dikim. (pronounced: Es hej we tkim.)
- Do you have .... ?
- -a/-ê/-ên/-êt te/we/hewe .... heye/hene/heyin? : Te/we/hewe ... heye/hene/heyin?
- I am hungry.
- Ez birçî me.
- I am a foreigner.
- Ez biyanî me. : Ez xerîb im. : Ez ne ji vir im.
- Please notice
- In kurdish language, pronouncation of "x" is not like in english. It sounds like "r" in german. Simply a thick "h" which comes from deep throat.
Problems
Numbers
- ½
- nîv
- 0
- sifir
- -1
- kêm yek
- 1
- yek
- 2
- (di)du
- 2½
- (di)du u nîv
- 3
- (si)sê
- 4
- çar
- 5
- pênc
- 6
- şeş
- 7
- heft
- 8
- heşt
- 9
- neh
- 10
- deh
- 11
- yazde(h)
- 12
- duwazde(h)
- 13
- sêzde(h)
- 14
- çarde(h)
- 15
- panzde(h)
- 16
- şazde(h)
- 17
- hefde(h) (pronounced: hevde(h))
- 18
- heşde(h) (pronounced: hejde(h))
- 19
- nozde(h)
- 20
- bîst
- 30
- sih
- 40
- çil
- 50
- pênce(h)
- 60
- şêst
- 70
- heftê
- 80
- heştê
- 90
- nod
- 100
- sed
- 200
- dused
- 300
- sêsed
- 400
- çarsed
- 500
- pênsed
- 600
- şeşsed (pronounced: şessed)
- 700
- heftsed
- 800
- heştsed
- 900
- nehsed
- 1000
- hezar
- 2000
- du hezar
Time
Clock time
Duration
Days
Monday - Dushem
Tuesday - Seshem
Wednesday - Charsem
Thursday - Pencsem
Friday - Ini
Saturday - Semi
Sunday - Yeksem
Months
Writing time and date
Colors
- red
- sor
- yellow
- zer
- green
- kesk
- black
- reş
- white
- spî
- blue
- hişîn
Transportation
Bus and train
Bus : PassTrain : Kitar / Shamenafer
Directions
right: rastLeft: cepTurn:bsureweGo Straight: rast broStreet: sheqamLane:kolanneighborhood: gerekcity: sharMarket : bazar
Taxi
Lodging
Money
Para or dinar
Eating
Xwardan