Learn Kurmanji Kurdish online
Kurmanji, or Northern Kurdish, is the most widely spoken Kurdish dialect. Zimanzan teaches it in short, interactive lessons with pictures and sound. Free, with no subscription and no ads.
Start learning Kurmanji for freeWhat is Kurmanji?
Kurmanji is spoken mainly in Turkey, Syria, northern Iraq and northwestern Iran, and by a large Kurdish community across Europe.
It is written in a Latin alphabet, the Hawar alphabet introduced by Celadet Alî Bedirxan in 1932. If you can read English, you can read Kurmanji from your first lesson, and letters like ç, ş, ê, î and û soon become familiar.
Your first words in Kurmanji
- Silav
- Hello
- Spas
- Thank you
- Tu çawa yî?
- How are you?
- Hûn bi xêr hatin
- Welcome
How Zimanzan teaches Kurmanji
- Short lessons. A few minutes a day with pictures and sound: pick the right answer or picture, match pairs, put words in order and hear words and sentences spoken aloud.
- A clear path. The course is organised in units and CEFR levels, starting at A1, so you always know what comes next.
- Review that sticks. Review brings back the words you are about to forget, not the ones you already know.
- Grammar with examples. Pronouns, present and past tense, negation, questions, numbers and more, each explained with example sentences.
- Stories and dialogues. Read short stories and follow everyday conversations once you know your first words.
- For children too. A dedicated kids area teaches the Kurdish alphabet through play, one letter at a time.
- Learn with friends. Streaks, XP and daily goals keep you going, and you can follow friends and challenge them to a duel.
You can take the course from English, German, Turkish, Arabic or Persian.