Learn Kurdish: Your Complete Guide to Kurmanji & Sorani

Your partner’s family speaks Kurdish, you have Kurdish roots, or you are moving to Kurdistan? Then the first thing you need is not a course. It is the right dialect.

Kurdish is spoken by an estimated 30 to 40 million people across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and large diaspora communities worldwide. Yet finding a structured, honest guide to actually learning it is surprisingly difficult. Most resources either treat Kurdish as one single language or ignore the fundamental difference between its two main dialects: Kurmanji and Sorani.

I’ve been learning languages systematically for over 20 years, from Norwegian to Danish and Swedish, and I have written four books on language learning. Let me be upfront: I don’t speak Kurdish myself. What I bring is the method side, and I know exactly how frustrating it is to spend months with the wrong resource. This guide cuts through the noise: which dialect you should learn, which courses really offer Kurdish, and how to make progress without wasting time.

Kurmanji or Sorani? Which Kurdish you should learn

Kurdish is an Indo-European language from the Iranian branch. That makes it a relative of Persian (Farsi) and Dari, not of Arabic or Turkish. If you have dabbled in Farsi, you will notice familiar structures. If you come from Arabic, the grammar will feel quite different, even though Sorani uses an Arabic-based script.

There is no single standard Kurdish. That is why the dialect decision comes before the course decision:

Besides these, there is Southern Kurdish in western Iran, plus Zazaki and Gorani, which many linguists treat as separate languages. For almost every learner, though, the choice comes down to Kurmanji or Sorani.

My rule of thumb: Ask where your people are from. If your partner’s family comes from Turkey or Syria, or you want to talk to Kurds in Germany or Sweden, learn Kurmanji. If your connection is Erbil, Sulaymaniyah or Iran, or you work in Iraqi Kurdistan, learn Sorani. Choosing by what sounds easier is the most expensive mistake you can make here.

What’s the difference between Kurmanji and Sorani?

• Script: Kurmanji is written in Latin letters (31 letters), Sorani in a modified Arabic script that runs right to left.
• Grammar: Kurmanji still has grammatical gender and case endings. Sorani has dropped gender and uses pronoun endings attached to words instead.
• Vocabulary: A large shared core, but many everyday words differ. “Thank you” is spas in Kurmanji and supas or spas in Sorani, “hello” is silav in Kurmanji and slaw in Sorani, but you will quickly hit words that don’t match.
• Understanding each other: Speakers of both dialects can usually get the gist with effort, especially with practice. Full mutual understanding without exposure is limited, far less than between Norwegian and Danish.

Kurdish in a nutshell: key facts

Is Kurdish hard to learn? Realistic expectations

I’ll be direct about this, because too many language blogs give vague, motivational non-answers. The US Foreign Service Institute places Kurdish in Category III, the “hard languages” group alongside Polish, Turkish and Thai, and estimates around 1,100 class hours to reach professional working proficiency (FSI language categories, state.gov).

That said, “hard” is relative. When I started Norwegian in 2005, everyone told me Scandinavian languages were easy. For a German speaker, they are. Kurdish asks more of you, but the challenges are specific and learnable:

• Ergative grammar: In the past tense, Kurmanji and Sorani switch how the verb agrees with subject and object. This is unusual for European learners, but it follows consistent rules once you have seen enough examples.
• Script (Sorani only): Learning to read the right-to-left script adds roughly 3 to 6 weeks of focused study before you can use most written resources.
• Limited structured resources: This is the bigger obstacle. Duolingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone and Mondly don’t offer Kurdish. You are working with a much thinner toolkit than for Spanish or French.

A realistic milestone for a motivated learner doing 20 minutes a day: basic conversational phrases in 2 to 3 months, an A2 foundation in about 6 months. Don’t let anyone sell you fluency in 30 days.

How to learn Kurmanji Kurdish: a step-by-step approach for beginners

Kurmanji is the more accessible starting point for most Western learners, mainly because it uses a Latin-based alphabet. You don’t need to learn a new script before you can start reading. Here’s the approach I’d recommend, based on how I structured my own learning for Norwegian and Swedish:

Step 1: The Kurmanji alphabet (Week 1 to 2)

Kurmanji uses 31 letters. Most look like standard Latin letters, a handful carry diacritics (ç, ê, î, ş, û). Spend one to two weeks getting the sounds automatic before you focus on vocabulary. The letters that trip English speakers up most:

• c: like the “j” in “jam”
• ç: like the “ch” in “church”
• x: like the “ch” in Scottish “loch”
• q: a deeper “k” from the back of the throat
• ê, î, û: long vowels, while a plain i is a short, unstressed sound

For every letter with pronunciation, plus the Sorani script side by side, see our full guide to the Kurdish alphabet.

Step 2: Core vocabulary (Month 1 to 3)

From my own experience learning vocabulary first in several languages, the method that really sticks is spaced repetition: you revisit words at growing intervals, just before they fade. This is the method I describe in my books. For Kurdish, focus first on:

• Greetings and conversation starters (silav, spas, ez baş im)
• Numbers 1 to 100
• Common verbs: to be, to have, to go, to want, to eat
• Question words and family terms (essential if you are learning for your partner’s family)

Step 3: Grammar basics (Month 2 onwards)

Kurmanji grammar has features English speakers find counterintuitive. Nouns have grammatical gender (masculine and feminine), and the ergative pattern in past tenses means you will make mistakes early on. That’s normal. Ergative errors are the Kurdish equivalent of forgetting French gender agreement: they happen, and they don’t stop communication.

Best resources to learn Kurmanji

Honest overview of what’s available:

• 17-Minute-Languages Kurdish course (Kurmanji): the most structured online course for beginners I know of, with spaced repetition built in. I’ve used the same provider for Norwegian and Swedish vocabulary, and the method works. Be aware that the Kurdish version is a compact beginner course, not a full A1 to C2 program. → Try it free for 2 days*
• Live tutors on Preply: for Kurmanji, a native-speaking tutor is hard to replace, especially for pronunciation. Preply is a tutor marketplace where you can filter for Kurdish. → Browse tutors on Preply (filter for Kurdish)*
• Kurdish media: Kurdish news channels such as Rudaw broadcast in Kurmanji as well as Sorani. Free, great for listening, but unstructured.
• Grammar reference: W. M. Thackston’s Kurmanji Kurdish: A Reference Grammar with Selected Readings is a solid companion once you have a basic vocabulary.

How to learn Sorani Kurdish: the beginner’s guide

Sorani presents a different challenge from Kurmanji. The language itself is not fundamentally harder, but the Arabic-based script is an initial hurdle most learners underestimate. You read right to left, letters change shape depending on their position, and the script looks completely unfamiliar to Latin-script readers. Budget 3 to 6 weeks of focused script practice before written Sorani material feels comfortable.

This is also the dialect I see most often from learners who already speak Arabic, and from people working in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. If you read Arabic, you have a real head start on the script, but not on the grammar.

Sorani script: what you need to know first

The Sorani alphabet has 33 letters, adapted from the Arabic script. The key differences:

• Unlike Arabic, Sorani writes almost every vowel as a letter. Only the short “i” sound usually stays unwritten. Once you know the letters, this makes Sorani more learner-friendly than Arabic.
• Several letters exist only in Kurdish, for example ڤ for “v”, ڵ for a heavy “l” and ڕ for a rolled “r”.
• The script is cursive: letters connect differently depending on their position in the word.

Recommended approach for Sorani beginners

• Week 1 to 3: Script only. Learn letters in groups by shape. Write by hand, not just digitally, because it reinforces recognition.
• Week 4 onwards: Start vocabulary alongside continued script practice. Don’t wait until your script is “perfect”. Learning both in parallel is more efficient.
• Month 2 to 3: Basic grammar. Sorani also uses ergative patterns in the past tense, but marks them with pronoun endings rather than case forms.

Best resources to learn Sorani Kurdish online

Honest heads-up: for Sorani, the course market is even thinner than for Kurmanji. The 17-Minute-Languages course teaches Kurmanji, so it is not the right choice if you need Sorani.

• Live tutors on Preply: for Sorani, a tutor from Erbil or Sulaymaniyah is the most effective option, because they correct script and pronunciation from day one. → Browse tutors on Preply (filter for Kurdish)*
• Our Sorani phrases: the most important greetings and everyday expressions to get started. → Sorani Kurdish phrases
• Grammar reference: W. M. Thackston’s Sorani Kurdish: A Reference Grammar with Selected Readings is the standard English-language reference.
• Kurdish media: Sorani TV, news and music from the Kurdistan Region are easy to find online and train your ear from week one.

The best Kurdish language courses online: an honest comparison

Let me be transparent about my experience: I’ve used 17-Minute-Languages extensively for Norwegian and Swedish. It is the course behind the vocabulary methods in my books. For Kurdish, the market is thin compared with major European languages, and several big names you might expect simply don’t offer it. Here’s what is really available (checked September 2026):

Course	Kurdish available?	Method	Best for	Rating
17-Minute-Languages	✅ Kurmanji (beginner level)	Spaced repetition, 15 to 20 min/day	First vocabulary, beginners
Preply (live tutors)	✅ Kurdish tutors (Kurmanji and Sorani)	1-on-1 live sessions	Conversation, Sorani, dialect precision
Mondly	❌ No Kurdish	Not available	Not available	Not rated
Babbel	❌ No Kurdish	Not available	Not available	Not rated
Rosetta Stone	❌ No Kurdish	Not available	Not available	Not rated
Duolingo	❌ No Kurdish	Not available	Not available	Not rated

My honest take on the table: The 5 stars for 17-Minute-Languages reflect the method’s track record for vocabulary, the same approach I used to reach business-level Norwegian. For Kurdish, keep in mind it is a beginner course, so plan to add a tutor once you outgrow it. The 4 stars for Preply reflect the value of dialect-specific 1-on-1 lessons, something no app replaces for a language where Kurmanji and Sorani need different skills. For Sorani learners, Preply is currently the only serious online option.

What the 17-Minute-Languages Kurdish course covers

Since it’s the main recommendation for Kurmanji on this page, here’s what you really get. Not the marketing copy, but the facts (checked September 2026):

• Dialect: Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish). There is no Sorani version.
• Scope: The Kurdish Travel Course with around 450 words and phrases in 21 topic lists, with recordings by native speakers. There is no intermediate or advanced Kurdish course.
• Price model: One-time payment, no subscription, 10 years of access and a 31-day money-back guarantee. At the time of writing, the course is on offer at €29.95 instead of €57.00.
• Daily structure: The software sets your daily tasks automatically. You can adjust the number of words per session and switch between multiple choice, writing and listening modes.

From my experience with the method: the long-term memory loop works. Words you don’t know come back at shorter intervals, words you know move to longer review cycles. With 450 words and phrases you can handle greetings, family small talk and everyday situations. For A2 and beyond, combine it with a tutor and a grammar reference. That’s the honest benchmark.

Tips to learn Kurdish faster (from 20 years of language learning experience)

After learning Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and French, and currently working on Spanish, I’ve seen which habits separate learners who make progress from those who stall. For Kurdish, they matter even more, because the pool of resources is smaller:

• Pick your dialect before you start and stick with it. Switching between Kurmanji and Sorani midway is one of the most common mistakes. They share vocabulary and grammar patterns, but the scripts differ and the differences add up quickly. Decide once, commit for at least 6 months.
• Vocabulary first, grammar second. This feels wrong if you come from school-style classes. But in my experience, a working vocabulary of 500 words beats perfect knowledge of 50 words every time. You can communicate with vocabulary. You can’t communicate with grammar rules alone.
• Use spaced repetition, not cramming. 20 minutes every day beats 3 hours on Sunday. The long-term memory method works because of consistent, distributed repetition, not intensity.
• Find a native speaker early. Even monthly video calls with a tutor expose pronunciation errors that no app catches. Kurdish has sounds like the deep “q” and the throaty “x” that need real feedback. If you are learning for your partner’s family, they are your best practice partners, so use them.
• Consume Kurdish media from week one. Even if you understand nothing yet. Kurdish TV, YouTube and music build your ear for rhythm and sound before your conscious learning catches up.

For a deeper dive into the vocabulary-first approach, my guide on learning vocabulary successfully covers it in detail. It works for Kurdish just as it did for my Scandinavian languages.

With an estimated 15 to 20 million speakers according to Ethnologue, Kurmanji is one of the largest languages without a Duolingo course. That has an upside: the learner community is small, serious and motivated, and the resources that exist tend to be solid rather than gamified noise.

☀️ Free book: "How to Learn Kurdish in Just 7 Weeks"

Discover all the tricks that will help you learn Kurdish quickly and efficiently – much faster than you ever thought possible.

*

Frequently asked questions about learning Kurdish

Can you learn Kurdish on Duolingo?

No. As of September 2026, Duolingo does not offer a Kurdish course. For structured self-study in Kurmanji, 17-Minute-Languages is currently the most accessible alternative. For Sorani, a live tutor is the best option.

Is there a Kurdish language app?

There is no big Kurdish-only app comparable to what exists for Spanish or Japanese. 17-Minute-Languages runs on smartphone, tablet and PC (Kurmanji), and Preply tutoring works on mobile. Mondly, Babbel and Rosetta Stone don’t offer Kurdish.

How long does it take to learn Kurdish?

With 20 minutes of daily study: basic phrases in 2 to 3 months, an A2 foundation in about 6 months, conversational B1 in 12 to 18 months. The FSI estimates around 1,100 class hours for professional working proficiency.

Is Kurmanji or Sorani better to learn?

It depends on who you want to talk to. Kurmanji for Turkey, Syria, Duhok and most of the Kurdish diaspora in Germany and Sweden. Sorani for Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Iranian Kurdistan. Kurmanji is easier to start because of the Latin script.

What is the difference between Kurmanji and Sorani?

Different scripts (Latin vs. Arabic-based), clear vocabulary differences and grammatical differences: Kurmanji has gender and case endings, Sorani does not. Speakers of both can often get the gist with effort, but they are not fully mutually intelligible.

Which countries speak Kurdish?

Mainly Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Kurdish is an official language of Iraq. There are also large Kurdish communities in Germany, Sweden, the UK and other European countries.

Is Kurdish similar to Persian or Arabic?

Kurdish is related to Persian (both are Iranian languages) and shares many words with it. Arabic is not related, even though Sorani uses an Arabic-based script and Kurdish has borrowed Arabic words.

How do you say hello in Kurdish?

In Kurmanji: Silav or Merheba. In Sorani: Slaw. For more, see our Kurmanji phrases and Sorani phrases.

Related links

• Kurdish phrases (Kurmanji): greetings, farewells and everyday expressions
• Sorani Kurdish phrases for beginners
• The Kurdish alphabet: Kurmanji and Sorani letters with pronunciation
• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning
• Train your listening comprehension
• Learning languages quickly, is it possible?
• The different types of language learners

Prefer another language?

• 🇩🇪 – Kurdisch lernen
• 🇳🇴 – Lær kurdisk på nett