Perso-Arabic Alphabet - Languages Using The Perso-Arabic Script

Languages Using The Perso-Arabic Script

Current Use

• Azerbaijani (Iran)
• Balochi
• Brahui
• Dari (Eastern Persian)
• Gilaki
• Kashmiri
• Kazakh In China and Iran
• Kurdish (Kurmanji dialect in Iran and Iraq, Soranî dialect)
• Kyrgyz in China and Afghanistan
• Laki
• Luri
• Pashto language
• Marwari also known as Rajasthani
• Mazandarani
• Persian, except when it appears as Tajik
• Western Punjabi (Shahmukhi script)
• Qashqai
• Sindhi
• Saraiki
• Tajik in Afghanistan by ethnic Tajiks
• Turkmen in İran and Afghanistan
• Urdu
• Burushaski
• Uzbek in China and Afghanistan
• Uyghur (used different writing systems, cf. Uyghur alphabet)
• Chinese Xiaoerjin, a modified Perso Arabic script

Former Use
A number of languages have used the Perso-Arabic script before, but have since changed.

• Azerbaijani in the Republic of Azerbaijan (changed first to Latin, then Cyrillic, and switched back to Latin recently)
• Chaghatay Turkic (changed first to Latin, then Cyrillic)
• Kazakh in the Republic of Kazakhstan (changed first to Latin, then Cyrillic)
• Kyrgyz in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan (changed first to Latin, then Cyrillic)
• Turkish (changed to Latin)
• Tajik in the Republic of Tajikistan (changed first to Latin, then Cyrillic)
• Turkmen in the Republic of Turkmenistan (changed first to Latin, then Cyrillic, and switched back to Latin recently)
• Uzbek in the Republic of Uzbekistan (changed first to Latin, then Cyrillic, and switched back to Latin recently)