Najdi

Najdi refers to the group of Arabic dialects spoken in the Najd, the central highland region of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the major subgroups of Central Arabian speech and a key component of the broader Saudi linguistic landscape. The dialect is most common in and around the capital Riyadh and in provincial centers such as Buraydah, Qassim, and Hail, as well as in rural areas of the interior.

Najdi comprises several subdialects, with urban Najdi varieties associated with large towns and Bedouin or rural varieties spoken by nomadic and semi-nomadic communities. The urban variant spoken in Riyadh has had substantial influence on popular media and on the national urban Arabic speech, while other subdialects preserve more traditional forms.

Linguistically, Najdi is a member of the Central Arabic branch and displays regional variation in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. It tends to be relatively conservative in some respects compared with other Saudi dialects, while urban varieties incorporate modern terms and calques from media and education. The dialect is primarily a spoken form; Modern Standard Arabic is used for formal writing, education, and official communication.

Within Saudi Arabia and beyond, Najdi has shaped regional identity and cultural expression and remains a focal point of linguistic and sociolinguistic study. Researchers examine Najdi as part of the larger pattern of convergence and divergence among Arabian dialects, with new media contributing to the transmission of Najdi features to wider audiences.