Dialect comparison

Bahdini vs Sorani

Compare two dialects of Kurdish side by side — where they're spoken, what they're called, and how they relate.

Bahdini

Behdini · Badini · Behdînî · Bahdînî

A southern Kurmanji subdialect spoken in Duhok province of Iraqi Kurdistan and adjacent areas of southeastern Turkey. Mutually intelligible with northern Kurmanji but with distinct phonology and vocabulary, and traditionally written in Arabic script alongside Sorani rather than the Latin script used for Kurmanji further north.

Spoken in
Speakers (approx.)
3,000,000
Approximate centre
36.87°, 42.99°
Sorani

Spoken across Iraqi Kurdistan and western Iran. The main written language in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Spoken in
Speakers (approx.)
7,000,000
Approximate centre
36.19°, 44.01°

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