The standard Persian variety spoken in Iran, with a rich literary tradition rooted in classical poetry and modern expression.
Herati
Also known as: Herati Persian, Herati Dari, Herātī
The Dari of Herat and the Hari Rud valley in western Afghanistan. Transitional between Kabuli Dari and the Khorasani Persian of north-eastern Iran, with strong Iranian features in vocalism and lexicon. Around two million speakers.
Shareable facts
Want a Herati app?
Vote and we'll prioritise it. Top-voted dialects move up the roadmap. One vote per email.
Frequently asked questions
What language is Herati?
Herati is a dialect of the Persian language.
Where is Herati spoken?
Herati is primarily spoken in Afghanistan.
Which region is Herati associated with?
Herati is part of the Central Asia region on DialectAtlas.
Is Herati known by other names?
Yes — Herati is also referred to as Herati Persian, Herati Dari, Herātī.
How many people speak Herati?
Herati is spoken by approximately 2,000,000 people.
What are the other dialects of Persian?
Persian also includes Farsi, Dari, Tajik, Hazaragi, Kabuli. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other Persian dialects
See on the atlas →The Persian variety spoken in Afghanistan, sharing deep roots with Farsi while carrying its own vocabulary and pronunciation.
The Persian variety spoken in Tajikistan, written in Cyrillic script with unique vocabulary influenced by Central Asia.
A distinctive Persian dialect of the Hazara people, with its own verb forms, vocabulary, and cultural identity rooted in central Afghanistan.
Kabuli Persian · Kabuli Dari · Kābolī
The Dari variety of Kabul and the prestige basis of standard Afghan Persian as used in broadcast, government, and education. Sociolinguistically dominant across most of eastern and central Afghanistan, with several million speakers.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →441 km away
A distinctive Persian dialect of the Hazara people, with its own verb forms, vocabulary, and cultural identity rooted in central Afghanistan.
446 km away
The Pashto of southern Afghanistan around Kandahar. Considered the most conservative Pashto variety, retaining retroflex consonants lost in the northern dialects.
509 km away
The Persian variety spoken in Afghanistan, sharing deep roots with Farsi while carrying its own vocabulary and pronunciation.
528 km away
An Oghuz Turkic language spoken across Turkmenistan and adjacent communities in Iran and Afghanistan. The southernmost Central Asian Turkic language.
553 km away
The Balochi of south-eastern Iran around Zahedan and the Makran coast. Phonologically distinct from Eastern Balochi, with strong contact features from Persian.
639 km away
The Dari variety of Kabul and the prestige basis of standard Afghan Persian as used in broadcast, government, and education. Sociolinguistically dominant across most of eastern and central Afghanistan, with several million speakers.