Tajiki

Tajiki, also known as Tajik or Tajik Persian, is a variety of the Persian language within the Western Iranian branch of the Indo-European family. It is spoken primarily in Tajikistan, where it functions as the state language and is widely used in education, media, and public life, and it is also spoken in Afghanistan and by Tajik communities in neighboring countries such as Uzbekistan and Russia. Tajiki forms part of the Dari–Iranian subbranch of Persian and shares a common heritage with Iranian Persian and Dari, though it has its own standardized form and regional dialects.

Geographic distribution and status: In Tajikistan, Tajiki is the official language alongside Russian and is taught in schools and used in government and broadcasting. In Afghanistan, varieties of Persian are represented by Dari; Tajiki is commonly regarded as a northern variety of Dari and is spoken by communities in Badakhshan and other northern provinces. Although scripts differ by region, the language serves as a major vehicle of communication and culture in both countries. There are also diaspora communities in Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Writing systems and standardization: Tajiki in Tajikistan is typically written in the Cyrillic script, a legacy of Soviet language policy, with standardized norms developed for education and public life. In Afghanistan, Persian-based Tajiki is generally written in the Persian-Arabic script. The language exhibits regional dialects, with Northern Tajik being a prominent variety; while pronunciation and vocabulary vary, speakers of Tajiki, Dari, and Iranian Persian largely understand one another.

Linguistic relationship: Tajiki is closely related to Dari and Iranian Persian and is considered a standard form of Persian used in Tajikistan. It has a rich literary and cultural tradition in both Tajikistan and Afghanistan and continues to play a central role in education, media, and national identity.