Kurdish phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Kurdish with translation. | Free & useful
Kurdish phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.
They are an important part of Kurdish culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.
Kurdish phrases you should know
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Kurdish phrases and dialogues today.
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Greet someone in Kurdish
If you want to greet someone in Kurdish, it’s actually quite easy:
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome! in Kurdish | Bi xêr hatî! | [bɪ xɛːɾ haˈtiː] |
| Good day to you! in Kurdish | Rojek baş ji te re! | [ɾoːʒɛk baːʃ ʒɪ tɛ ɾɛ] |
| Good morning to you! in Kurdish | Spêde baş ji te re! | [spɛːˈdɛ baːʃ ʒɪ tɛ ɾɛ] |
| Good evening! in Kurdish | Êvar baş! | [ʔeːˈvaɾ baːʃ] |
| Good to see you. in Kurdish | Kêfxweş bûm ku ez te dîtim. | [keːf.xwɛʃ buːm ku ɛz tɛ ˈdiːtɪm] |
| I’m glad to see you. in Kurdish | Ez kêfxweş im ku te dîtim. | [ɛz keːf.xwɛʃ ɪm ku tɛ ˈdiːtɪm] |
If you are greeted in Kurdish, the best way to respond is as follows:
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Have a nice day too! in Kurdish | Rojekê baş jî bo te be! | [ɾoːʒɛkɛː baːʃ ʒiː bo tɛ bɛ] |
| Thanks, it’s nice to see you too. in Kurdish | Spas, kêfxweş e ku ez jî te dîtim. | [spɑːs keːf.xwɛʃ ɛ ku ɛz ʒiː tɛ ˈdiːtɪm] |
How is my dialogue partner?
As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| How are you doing? in Kurdish | Tu çawa yî? | [tu ˈt͡ʃɑː.wɑ jiː] |
| Are you doing well? in Kurdish | Tu baş î? | [tu baːʃ iː] |
If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you for asking, I am fine. | Spas ji bo pirsinê, ez baş im. | [spɑːs ʒi bo pɪɾ.sɪˈneː ɛz baːʃ ɪm] |
| Thank you, I am fine. in Kurdish | Spas, ez baş im. | [spɑːs ɛz baːʃ ɪm] |
| Thank you, I am not doing so well. | Spas, ez çend baş nînim. | [spɑːs ɛz t͡ʃɛnd baːʃ ˈniː.nɪm] |
| Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing? | Spas, ez baş im. Tu çawa yî? | [spɑːs ɛz baːʃ ɪm | tu ˈt͡ʃɑː.wɑ jiː] |
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How do I say goodbye to someone in Kurdish?
Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Kurdish is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Goodbye! in Kurdish | Bi xatirê te! | [bɪ xaːˈtɪɾɛ tɛ] |
| Take care of yourself! in Kurdish | Xwe biparêze! | [xwɛ bɪ.pa.ˈɾeː.zɛ] |
| See you tomorrow in Kurdish | Ta sibê! | [ta sɪˈbeː] |
| See you soon in Kurdish | Ta demek nêzîk! | [ta dɛːˈmɛk nɛːˈziːk] |
| See you later in Kurdish | Paşê em ê hev bibînin! | [paːˈʃe ʔɛm ʔeː hɛv bɪˈbiː.nɪn] |
| Good night in Kurdish | Şev baş! | [ʃɛv baːʃ] |
| Sleep well in Kurdish | Xewê şîrîn bibîn! | [xɛːˈwɛ ʃiːˈɾiːn bɪˈbiːn] |
| Talk to you later. in Kurdish | Paşê biaxivîn! | [paːˈʃe bɪ.jaː.xɪˈviːn] |
| Nice to have met you! in Kurdish | Kêfxweş bû ku ez bi te re nas bûm! | [keːf.xwɛʃ buː ku ɛz bɪ tɛ ɾɛ naːs buːm] |
How do I introduce myself in Kurdish?
When travelling in Syria, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Kurdish and know who you’re talking to.
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| My name is Jonas. | Navê min Jonas e. | [naːˈvɛ mɪn ˈjoːnas ɛ] |
| What is your name? in Kurdish | Navê te çi ye? | [naːˈvɛ tɛ t͡ʃiː jɛ] |
| What is your surname? in Kurdish | Paşnavê te çi ye? | [paːʃ.naːˈvɛ tɛ t͡ʃiː jɛ] |
| What is your first name? in Kurdish | Navê sereke ya te çi ye? | [naːˈvɛ sɛ.ɾɛˈkɛ jaː tɛ t͡ʃiː jɛ] |
If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you come from? in Kurdish | Tu ji ku derê yî? | [tu ʒi ku dɛˈɾeː jiː] |
| I am from London. | Ez ji Londra me. | [ɛz ʒi ˈlon.dɾa mɛ] |
| Are you from Birmingham? | Tu ji Birmingham yî? | [tu ʒi ˈbɪɾ.mɪŋ.ham jiː] |
| No, I’m from Madrid. | Na, ez ji Madrid me. | [naː ɛz ʒi maˈdɾid mɛ] |
| Great, I’m from Madrid too. | Xweş e, ez jî ji Madrid me. | [xwɛʃ ɛ ɛz ʒiː ʒi maˈdɾid mɛ] |
| Where do you live? in Kurdish | Tu li ku dijî? | [tu lɪ ku dɪˈʒiː] |
| I live in Berlin. | Ez li Berlin dijîm. | [ɛz lɪ bɛɾˈliːn dɪˈʒiːm] |
If you have problems with your Kurdish, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? in Kurdish | Tu îngilîzî diaxivî? | [tu ʔɪn.gɪˈliː.zɪ dɪ.aˈxɪ.viː] |
| Yes, I speak English. | Erê, ez îngilîzî diaxivim. | [ʔɛˈɾeː ɛz ʔɪn.gɪˈliː.zɪ dɪ.aˈxɪ.vɪm] |
| Yes, I speak some English. | Erê, ez hin îngilîzî diaxivim. | [ʔɛˈɾeː ɛz hɪn ʔɪn.gɪˈliː.zɪ dɪ.aˈxɪ.vɪm] |
| No, I do not speak any English. | Na, ez tu îngilîzî nizanim biaxivim. | [naː ɛz tu ʔɪn.gɪˈliː.zɪ nɪˈza.nɪm bɪ.aˈxɪ.vɪm] |
| I only speak English. | Tenê îngilîzî diaxivim. | [tɛˈneː ʔɪn.gɪˈliː.zɪ dɪ.aˈxɪ.vɪm] |
| I understand some Kurdish. | Ez hin kurdî têgihîştim. | [ɛz hɪn kuɾˈdiː teː.ɡɪˈhɪʃ.tɪm] |
Useful sentences with ‘I am…’
The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Kurdish and express your wishes and concerns:
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I am English. | Ez îngilîz im. | [ɛz ʔɪn.gɪˈliːz ɪm] |
| I am injured. in Kurdish | Ez birîndar im. | [ɛz bɪ.ɾiːnˈdaɾ ɪm] |
| I am here. in Kurdish | Ez li vir im. | [ɛz lɪ vɪɾ ɪm] |
| I am hungry. in Kurdish | Ez birçî me. | [ɛz bɪɾˈt͡ʃiː mɛ] |
| I am thirsty. in Kurdish | Ez teşnê me. | [ɛz tɛʃˈneː mɛ] |
| I am a single person. in Kurdish | Ez kesekî serbixwe me. | [ɛz kɛ.sɛˈkiː sɛɾ.bɪxˈwɛ mɛ] |
| I need help! in Kurdish | Hevîya alîkariyê heye! | [hɛˈviː.ja ʔa.liː.ka.ɾiːˈjɛ hɛˈjɛ] |
| I am tired. in Kurdish | Ez westiyayî me. | [ɛz wɛs.ti.jaˈjiː mɛ] |
| I am happy. in Kurdish | Ez kêfxweş im. | [ɛz keːf.xwɛʃ ɪm] |
| I am sad. in Kurdish | Ez xemgîn im. | [ɛz xɛmˈɡiːn ɪm] |
| I am in love. in Kurdish | Ez di evînê de me. | [ɛz dɪ ʔɛ.viːˈneː dɛ mɛ] |
| I am ill. in Kurdish | Ez nexweş im. | [ɛz nɛxˈwɛʃ ɪm] |
| I am ready. in Kurdish | Ez amade me. | [ɛz ʔa.maːˈdɛ mɛ] |
| I am busy. in Kurdish | Ez mijûl im. | [ɛz mɪˈʒuːl ɪm] |
| I am lost. in Kurdish | Ez wenda bûm. | [ɛz wɛnˈdaː buːm] |
| I am a tourist. in Kurdish | Ez gerrêk im. | [ɛz ɡɛˈrɛːk ɪm] |
| I am new here. in Kurdish | Ez nû im li vir. | [ɛz nuː ɪm lɪ vɪɾ] |
| I am confident. in Kurdish | Ez xwe bawer im. | [ɛz xwɛ baːˈwɛɾ ɪm] |
| I am proud. in Kurdish | Ez serbilind im. | [ɛz sɛɾ.bɪˈlɪnd ɪm] |
| I am a teacher. in Kurdish | Ez mamoste me. | [ɛz maː.moːsˈtɛ mɛ] |
| I am late. in Kurdish | Ez dirêj bûm. | [ɛz dɪˈɾeːʒ buːm] |
| I am 30 years old. in Kurdish | Ez 30 salî me. | [ɛz siː ˈsɑː.liː mɛ] |
| I am in a hurry. in Kurdish | Ez lez dixwazim. | [ɛz lɛz dɪxˈwaː.zɪm] |
| I am happy. in Kurdish | Ez kêfxweş im. | [ɛz keːf.xwɛʃ ɪm] |
| I am surprised. in Kurdish | Ez şaş bûm. | [ɛz ʃɑʃ buːm] |
| I am angry. in Kurdish | Ez tehlîme. | [ɛz tɛhˈliː mɛ] |
Apologising in Kurdish
Here’s how to apologise to a Kurdish speaker:
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I apologise. in Kurdish | Ez biborî dixwazim. | [ɛz bɪ.boːˈɾiː dɪxˈwaː.zɪm] |
| Sorry, that was not the intention. | Bibore, ew ne bû armanca min. | [bɪ.boːˈɾɛ ʔɛw nɛ buː ʔaɾˈman.d͡ʒa mɪn] |
| Sorry, I did not do it on purpose. | Bibore, ez wê bi qesd nekir. | [bɪ.boːˈɾɛ ɛz weː bɪ qɛsd nɛˈkɪɾ] |
| Sorry, that was very clumsy of me. | Bibore, ew gelek bêleketîya min bû. | [bɪ.boːˈɾɛ ʔɛw ˈɡɛ.lɛk beː.lɛ.kɛˈtiː.ja mɪn buː] |
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Useful signs and notices in Kurdish
Useful signs and messages in Kurdish that you will often see.
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance in Kurdish | Têketin | [teː.kɛˈtɪn] |
| Toilet in Kurdish | Tuvalet | [tu.vaːˈlɛt] |
| Exit in Kurdish | Derketin | [dɛɾ.kɛˈtɪn] |
| Attention! in Kurdish | Hîşyar be! | [hiːʃˈjaɾ bɛ] |
| Police in Kurdish | Polîs | [poːˈliːs] |
| Emergency services in Kurdish | Karûbarê lêzê | [ka.ɾuː.baːˈɾɛ leːˈzeː] |
| Fire brigade in Kurdish | Gundê agirkujan | [ɡunˈdɛ ʔa.ɡɪɾ.kuːˈʒan] |
| Passage forbidden. in Kurdish | Derbasbûn qedexe ye. | [dɛɾ.basˈbuːn qɛ.dɛˈxɛ jɛ] |
| Caution! in Kurdish | Hewceyî baldarî ye! | [hɛw.d͡ʒɛˈjiː bal.daːˈɾiː jɛ] |
| This building is under video surveillance. in Kurdish | Ev avahî li bin çavdêriyê ya vîdyoyê ye. | [ʔɛv a.vaːˈhiː lɪ bɪn t͡ʃɑːw.deː.ɾiːˈjɛ jaː viː.djoːˈjɛ jɛ] |
Numbers to 25 in Kurdish
Counting in Kurdish is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Kurdish from 1 to 25.
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in Kurdish | Yek | [jɛk] |
| 2 in Kurdish | Du | [du] |
| 3 in Kurdish | Sê | [seː] |
| 4 in Kurdish | Çar | [t͡ʃɑːɾ] |
| 5 in Kurdish | Pênc | [peːnd͡ʒ] |
| 6 in Kurdish | Şeş | [ʃɛʃ] |
| 7 in Kurdish | Heft | [hɛft] |
| 8 in Kurdish | Heşt | [hɛʃt] |
| 9 in Kurdish | Neuf | [nœf] |
| 10 in Kurdish | Deh | [dɛh] |
| 11 in Kurdish | Yanzdeh | [jɑnzˈdɛh] |
| 12 in Kurdish | Dwanzdeh | [dwɑnzˈdɛh] |
| 13 in Kurdish | Sêzdeh | [seːzˈdɛh] |
| 14 in Kurdish | Çardeh | [t͡ʃɑɾˈdɛh] |
| 15 in Kurdish | Panzdeh | [pɑnzˈdɛh] |
| 16 in Kurdish | Şanzdeh | [ʃɑnzˈdɛh] |
| 17 in Kurdish | Hevdeh | [hɛvˈdɛh] |
| 18 in Kurdish | Hejdeh | [hɛʒˈdɛh] |
| 19 in Kurdish | Nozdeh | [nozˈdɛh] |
| 20 in Kurdish | Bîst | [biːst] |
| 21 in Kurdish | Bîst û yek | [biːst u jɛk] |
| 22 in Kurdish | Bîst û du | [biːst u du] |
| 23 in Kurdish | Bîst û sê | [biːst u seː] |
| 24 in Kurdish | Bîst û çar | [biːst u t͡ʃɑːɾ] |
| 25 in Kurdish | Bîst û pênc | [biːst u peːnd͡ʒ] |
The colours in Kurdish
The most common colours in Kurdish with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Red in Kurdish | Sor | [soːɾ] |
| Blue in Kurdish | Şîn | [ʃiːn] |
| Yellow in Kurdish | Zer | [zɛɾ] |
| Green in Kurdish | Sevîn | [sɛˈviːn] |
| Black in Kurdish | Reş | [ɾɛʃ] |
| White in Kurdish | Spî | [spiː] |
| Orange in Kurdish | Porteqalî | [poɾ.tɛ.qaːˈliː] |
| Pink in Kurdish | Pembehî | [pɛm.bɛˈhiː] |
| Purple in Kurdish | Mor | [moːɾ] |
| Brown in Kurdish | Qehweyî | [qɛh.wɛˈjiː] |
Days of the week, months and seasons in Kurdish
Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Kurdish and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Kurdish.
| English | Kurdish (Kurmanji) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Monday in Kurdish | Duşem | [duːˈʃɛm] |
| Tuesday in Kurdish | Sêşem | [seːˈʃɛm] |
| Wednesday in Kurdish | Çarşem | [t͡ʃɑːɾˈʃɛm] |
| Thursday in Kurdish | Pêncşem | [peːnd͡ʒˈʃɛm] |
| Friday in Kurdish | În | [ʔɪn] |
| Saturday in Kurdish | Şemî | [ʃɛˈmiː] |
| Sunday in Kurdish | Yekşem | [jɛkˈʃɛm] |
| January in Kurdish | Rêbendan | [ɾeː.bɛnˈdan] |
| February in Kurdish | Reşemî | [ɾɛ.ʃɛˈmiː] |
| March in Kurdish | Adar | [ʔaˈdaɾ] |
| April in Kurdish | Avrêl | [ʔavˈɾeːl] |
| May in Kurdish | Gulan | [ɡuˈlan] |
| June in Kurdish | Hezîran | [hɛˈziː.ɾan] |
| July in Kurdish | Tîrmeh | [tiːɾˈmɛh] |
| August in Kurdish | Gelawêj | [ɡɛ.laˈweʒ] |
| September in Kurdish | Rezber | [ɾɛzˈbɛɾ] |
| October in Kurdish | Kewçêr | [kɛwˈt͡ʃɛɾ] |
| November in Kurdish | Sermawez | [sɛɾ.maˈwɛz] |
| December in Kurdish | Berfanbar | [bɛɾ.fanˈbaɾ] |
| Spring in Kurdish | Bihar | [bɪˈhaɾ] |
| Summer in Kurdish | Havîn | [haˈviːn] |
| Autumn in Kurdish | Payîz | [paˈjiːz] |
| Winter in Kurdish | Zivistan | [zɪ.vɪsˈtan] |
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these Kurdish phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Kurdish phrases and dialogues.
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More information about the Kurdish Business Course.
Additional links
- The different ways of learning languages
- Learning vocabulary successfully
- Motivated language learning
- It is so easy to train your understanding of a language at the same time
- Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
- The different types of learners when learning languages
More information about the Kurdish Course for Children.