Kurdish (Kurmanji) alphabet: 31 letters with ç, ê, î, û, ş and special digraphs
Can recognize and pronounce all Kurmanji letters including ç, ê, î, û, ş, x, q
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Rojbaş! Ez ji Kurdistan im.
Good day! I am from Kurdistan.
Çavên wê gelek xweşik in.
Her eyes are very beautiful.
Qehweyeke germ, ji kerema xwe.
A hot coffee, please.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Alfabeya Kurmancî 31 tîp hene: A B C Ç D E Ê F G H I Î J K L M N O P Q R S Ş T U Û V W X Y Z.
| Tîp | Bilêvkirin | Mînak |
|---|---|---|
| Ç/ç | [tʃ] — wek "ch" yê Îngilîzî | çav (çav = eye) |
| Ê/ê | [eː] — e dirêj | êvar (evening) |
| Î/î | [iː] — i dirêj | jîn (life/woman) |
| Û/û | [uː] — u dirêj | rû (face) |
| Ş/ş | [ʃ] — wek "sh" yê Îngilîzî | şev (night) |
| X/x | [x] — wek "ch" yê Almanî | xwendin (to read) |
| Q/q | [qʰ] — ji qirika paş | qehwe (coffee) |
Dengdêrên dirêj: ê, î, û — dengdêrên dirêj in, e, i, u — dengdêrên kin in.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesConfusing short e/i/u with long ê/î/û
Short: e [ɛ], i [ɪ], u [ʊ]. Long: ê [eː], î [iː], û [uː]. Length changes meaning.
Pronouncing q as [k] or x as [ks]
Q = uvular [qʰ] (back of throat). X = velar fricative [x] (like German ch in Bach).
Rojbaş! Ez ji Kurdistan im.
Good day! I am from Kurdistan.
Rojbaş = good day (roj=day + baş=good). Note ş [ʃ] sound.
Çavên wê gelek xweşik in.
Her eyes are very beautiful.
Ç [tʃ] in çav (eye). X [x] in xweşik (beautiful). Ê [eː] in çavên (eyes-of).
Qehweyeke germ, ji kerema xwe.
A hot coffee, please.
Q [qʰ] in qehwe (coffee) — uvular stop, deeper than k. Ji kerema xwe = please.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises