DariPersian

Dari Persian, commonly referred to as Dari, is a variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. It is one of the two official languages of the country, alongside Pashto, and serves as a common medium of communication in government, education, media, and daily life. Dari is the form of Persian most widely used in Afghan schools and public administration.

Linguistically, Dari belongs to the Western Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subfamily within the Indo-European language family. It descended from Middle Persian and shares a core grammar and much of the lexicon with other Persian varieties. While it is largely mutually intelligible with Iranian Persian and Tajik, Dari bears distinctive pronunciation, vocabulary, and regional expressions that reflect Afghan linguistic contact and history.

Dari encompasses several regional varieties, with Kabul Dari often treated as the prestige or standard form. Other notable varieties include Herati Dari, Kandahari Dari, and Badakhshani Dari, each with its own local features. Despite these differences, speakers across Afghanistan generally understand one another, especially in formal contexts.

The script used for Dari is the Persian variant of the Perso-Arabic alphabet, written from right to left. Dari orthography follows standard Persian conventions, though some vocabulary and loanword choices reflect Afghan usage and bilingual influence with Pashto and other local languages. Standardized forms are promoted in education, media, and government to maintain consistency across the country.

Dari has a rich literary and journalistic tradition in Afghanistan, contributing to national culture and identity. It functions as a key vehicle for education, administration, broadcasting, and literature, alongside Pashto, and continues to play a central role in Afghan public life.