The complete Sorani Kurdish alphabet — 33+ letters including unique consonants (ڤ ڵ ژ چ) and all six explicit vowels — right in your browser. Type in Sorani, Kurmanji, or phonetic transliteration and get proper script for WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and every platform.
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# Special Characters
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Ready-Made Kurdish Combos
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How To Use
Three steps. Ten seconds.
Type
Type your Kurdish words above using either the Sorani alphabet (Arabic-based, 33+ letters) or transliteration mode for phonetic input — if you prefer Kurmanji, use the Latin transliteration and specify your preferred Kurmanji output.
1
Copy
One tap copies authentic Sorani Unicode — the output is standard Sorani with all six vowels as explicit letters (ە ا ی ۆ ێ ۊ), not images or web fonts, so it works on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and every platform across the Middle East and diaspora.
2
Paste
Paste into WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube or anywhere else — it renders correctly whether you're typing in Erbil, Ankara, Berlin or diaspora communities in North America, Europe and beyond.
3
Kurdish Keyboard for Any App
Write your Kurdish above, tap Copy, and paste it wherever Kurds connect — 35 million speakers across Middle East and global diaspora — no device support needed.Copy → paste into any app. No special settings needed.
Snapchat
Snapchat has no Kurdish keyboard — paste from here and your stories show authentic Sorani or Kurmanji with correct vowels and unique consonants, reaching diaspora communities from Berlin to Toronto.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp joins Kurds worldwide — from Erbil to Istanbul to diaspora family chats — paste Kurdish that every phone renders identically, with all six Sorani vowels perfect.
Instagram
Instagram's Kurdish communities are thriving — paste captions in authentic Sorani or Kurmanji and reach millions across the Middle East and diaspora, from the Rif mountains to European cities.
TikTok
YouTube's Kurdish content explodes daily — paste comments, titles, and descriptions in proper Kurdish that displays correctly even though most devices ship without Kurdish keyboards by default.
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Kurdish orthography developed in two distinct paths. For Sorani (Central Kurdish), early 20th-century intellectuals like Mulla Krekar and Muhammad Zahari developed written conventions. Kurdish journalism in Iraq during the 1920s–1930s established writing norms, and in 1945, the Kurdish literary association Komalai Zarkoî formalized Sorani orthography — though no single official standardization date exists. For Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish), the 1932 Hawar gathering in Syria marked the revolutionary shift to Latin alphabet, formally replacing Ottoman/Arabic script. Kurmanji remained banned in Turkey for 37 years (1924–1991) until language restrictions were lifted. Today, Sorani uses Arabic-based script (official in Iraq and parts of Iran), while Kurmanji uses Latin alphabet (especially in Turkey and diaspora).
Sorani (Central Kurdish) writes all vowels as full letters — ە (schwa), ا (a), ی (i), ۆ (o), ێ (e), ۊ (u) — unlike Arabic/Persian where vowels are optional diacritical marks. Sorani also has unique consonants not in standard Arabic: ڤ (v), ڵ (ł/heavy l), ژ (zh), چ (ch). Kurmanji uses the Latin alphabet with diacritics (c, ç, g, ğ, ş, û, ê, î) to represent Kurdish sounds. The Sorani–Kurmanji script split is the defining challenge: the same language uses completely different writing systems depending on geography and diaspora choice. Many diaspora users grew up speaking Kurdish but learning two distinct scripts (Sorani's Arabic-based, Kurmanji's Latin-based) remains a barrier for digital literacy.
WhatsApp is the dominant platform across all Kurdish regions, followed by Telegram (especially popular in Iran due to WhatsApp restrictions) and Facebook in Iraq and Syria where internet infrastructure is more developed. YouTube consumption is significant but content creation lags. The Amazigh diaspora is substantial and concentrated: Germany hosts the largest community (900,000–1.2 million Kurdish speakers), Sweden (200,000–300,000), Netherlands (100,000–150,000), France (80,000–100,000), Belgium (50,000–70,000), UK (40,000–60,000), North America (30,000–50,000 combined). Diaspora youth increasingly mix both scripts and use Latin transliteration, while older diaspora maintains Sorani Arabic script. Regional script incompatibility means users often need to switch contexts between Sorani and Kurmanji, making phonetic/transliteration keyboards particularly valuable.
1. Open kactyl.com/kurdish/→2. Click letters→3. Copy→4. Paste anywhere
Kurdish's unique challenge: the same language uses two completely different scripts — Sorani's Arabic-based alphabet and Kurmanji's Latin alphabet — reflecting centuries of Ottoman and colonial history.
Sorani: 33+ lettersKurmanji: Latin + diacriticsTwo scripts, one language1932 Hawar reform
Sorani vowels as letters
Six explicit vowel letters
ەایۆێۊ
Sorani writes all six vowels as explicit letters — unlike Arabic where vowels are optional marks. ە (schwa), ا (a), ی (i), ۆ (o), ێ (e), ۊ (u). This makes Sorani text phonetically complete and readable without context-guessing — a fundamental difference from Arabic's consonantal system.
ە a ی ۆ ێ ۊ = every vowel, always written
Unique Kurdish consonants
Letters not in Arabic or Persian
ڤڵژچ
Sorani has four unique consonants not in standard Arabic: ڤ (v-sound), ڵ (heavy l, Kurdish-specific), ژ (zh, from Persian), چ (ch, from Persian). These four letters are the fastest diagnostic of a Kurdish text — an Urdu or Arabic keyboard cannot produce them.
ڤ چ ڵ ژ = Kurdish identity in script
The script split
Sorani vs Kurmanji
ڤڵژچ
The same word in Sorani (ئەو = 'that', RTL) and Kurmanji Latin (ew). Sorani uses Arabic-based script (official in Iraq); Kurmanji uses Latin alphabet with diacritics (Turkey, diaspora). This split is the defining challenge for Kurdish digital literacy — diaspora users often must master both.
Same language, two completely different writing systems
Diaspora code-switching
35 million speakers, global diaspora
وابڵا
The Kurdish diaspora is vast: 900K–1.2M in Germany, 200K–300K in Sweden, 100K+ in Benelux, and communities across North America and Europe. Younger diaspora often code-switch between Sorani and Kurmanji, or use Latin transliteration. Phonetic keyboards that output Sorani are essential bridges for this diaspora.
Diaspora-to-homeland communication across two scripts
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the Kurdish keyboard
Sorani (Central Kurdish) and Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish) are the two largest Kurdish dialects, mutually intelligible to some degree. Sorani uses Arabic-based script (official in Iraq and parts of Iran); Kurmanji uses Latin alphabet (especially in Turkey and diaspora). The same language family, two completely different scripts.
Historical and geopolitical reasons. Ottoman and Persian empires used Arabic script for administration, so Sorani developed with Arabic-based orthography. Modern Turkey adopted Latin alphabet reforms (1928), and when Kurmanji education was legalized (1991), it used Latin. The script split reflects imperial histories, not linguistic differences.
Sorani writes vowels as full letters (ە, ا, ی, ۆ, ێ, ۊ), like English. Arabic writes vowels as optional diacritical marks (ـَ, ـِ, ـُ). This makes Sorani text visually and phonetically explicit — Sorani readers don't need to 'fill in' vowels like Arabic readers do.
ڤ (v) — doesn't exist in standard Arabic. ڵ (ł, heavy l) — phonetically distinct. ژ (zh) — from Persian, used in Kurdish. چ (ch) — from Persian, used in Kurdish. Typing Sorani requires these four letters, which is why Urdu or Arabic keyboards alone won't work.
Not typically — they're different scripts. A Sorani keyboard outputs Arabic-based script; a Kurmanji keyboard outputs Latin. This is why phonetic/transliteration keyboards are valuable for diaspora users who code-switch or grew up speaking but not writing.
Historically yes, most notably in Turkey (1924–1991). Today, Kurdish is official in Iraq and parts of Iran. In Turkey, it's recognized but not official in all contexts. Diaspora communities and online platforms have made digital Kurdish more accessible globally.
'Kurdlish' or phonetic Kurdish uses Latin letters to represent Kurdish sounds — useful for diaspora users unfamiliar with either Sorani or Kurmanji scripts. Example: 'hello' becomes 'slaw' (سلام in Sorani, or 'silav' in Kurmanji). Transliteration is popular among younger diaspora.
Approximately 30–35 million Kurds live across Turkey (12–15M), Iraq (5–7M), Iran (6–8M), Syria (2M), and diaspora communities in Europe and North America (3–4M). Most major cities in Germany, Sweden, Belgium, and France host significant Kurdish communities.
Yes — the output here is standard Unicode Sorani, fully supported by all platforms. Type or convert, copy, paste into WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube or anywhere else — it renders correctly on iPhone, Android, and desktop wherever an Arabic-script-capable font exists.
Komalai Zarkoî (Kurdish literary association) formalized Sorani orthography in 1945 — a key milestone for standardization. While no single governmental decree standardized Sorani, this association established conventions that persist today.
Many diaspora Kurds grew up speaking Kurdish but never formalized writing in Sorani (Arabic-based) or Kurmanji (Latin-based). Transliteration allows phonetic typing — type in English-like Latin letters, get Sorani output. This is especially valuable for diaspora connecting with homeland relatives.
Native Kurdish keyboards are not standard on major operating systems — most ship with Arabic, Latin, and Persian keyboards but not Kurdish. Kurmanji is more accessible (since it's Latin-based) than Sorani. This is why online tools like Kactyl's Kurdish keyboard are essential.
Not without switching keyboards — they're different scripts. However, diaspora users often communicate with different regions, requiring code-switching. This is why phonetic/transliteration keyboards and copy-paste tools are valuable for multilingual diaspora communication.
The 1932 Hawar gathering in Syria marked the formal adoption of Latin alphabet for Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish), a revolutionary step away from Ottoman/Arabic script. This convention persists today, especially in Turkey and diaspora.
Yes — Luri, Zaza, Feyli Kurdish, and others exist. However, Sorani and Kurmanji are the two largest and most widely spoken. Most educational material and media use Sorani or Kurmanji.
The keyboard here labels each letter with its name and phonetic value, removing ambiguity. Some letters (especially ل vs ڵ, or similar shapes) require practice, but visual recognition builds quickly.
Because Kurds live across four nation-states (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria) and the diaspora — there's no country where Kurdish is the sole official language, though Iraq legally recognizes Kurdish as co-official. The 'stateless' term reflects this geopolitical fragmentation.
Globally, Kurdish remains relatively unknown outside the Middle East and diaspora communities. Approximately 35 million speakers exist worldwide, but international media coverage focuses primarily on geopolitical crises rather than cultural or linguistic topics.
Amazigh
Kurdish
Uyghur
