Pashtu

Pashtu, also spelled Pashto or Pashtu, is an Iranian language in the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. It is spoken primarily by the Pashtun people in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with smaller communities in Iran, India, and overseas. Estimates place the number of native speakers in the tens of millions, commonly cited around 40–50 million.

In Afghanistan, Pashtu is one of the two official languages alongside Dari, and it is widely used in education, government, media, and daily communication. In Pakistan, Pashtu is a major regional language, prevalent in several provinces and dominant in Pashtun-majority areas, where it is used in schooling, broadcasting, literature, and public life.

The language comprises several dialects, with Northern Pashto and Southern Pashto forming the major divisions. Other varieties include Kandahari, Quetta, and Peshawar Pashto, among others. Dialects differ in phonology and vocabulary but share a common grammar and core vocabulary. Pashtu is written primarily in a modified Perso-Arabic script known as the Pashto alphabet, which adds letters to represent sounds not present in Arabic.

Pashtu has a long literary tradition, with early poets such as Khushal Khan Khattak and Rahman Baba contributing to its cultural heritage. In modern times, it has a growing body of literature, journalism, and media, including radio, television, and online platforms. Language policy in Afghanistan recognizes Pashtu as an official language; in Pakistan it remains a major regional language widely used in education and public life.