adj Uncommon

Kurdish

KUR-dihsh

Kurdish (adj) means relating to Kurdistan, the Kurdish people, or their language. Example: “The festival featured Kurdish music, dance, and traditional dress.”

adj

Relating to Kurdistan, the Kurdish people, or their language.

"The festival featured Kurdish music, dance, and traditional dress."

"He grew up in a Kurdish-speaking household in northern Iraq."

noun

The group of related Indo-Iranian languages spoken across Kurdistan, spanning parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

"Kurdish is made up of several distinct dialects, including Kurmanji and Sorani."

"She studied Kurdish at university alongside Persian."

How to use Kurdish

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDescribes the Kurdish people, their homeland, or their family of languages.

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The festival featured _____ music, dance, and traditional dress.

Etymology

From "Kurd" plus the suffix "-ish," which marks nationality or language, as in "English" or "Turkish."

Origin: Turkish

Frequently asked questions

What does “Kurdish” mean?

The word “Kurdish” means relating to Kurdistan, the Kurdish people, or their language. In plain terms, describes the Kurdish people, their homeland, or their family of languages.

How do you pronounce “Kurdish”?

“Kurdish” is pronounced KUR-dihsh (/ˈkɜː(ɹ)dɪʃ/ in IPA).

How do you use “Kurdish” in a sentence?

Here is “Kurdish” used in a sentence: “The festival featured Kurdish music, dance, and traditional dress.”

What part of speech is “Kurdish”?

Depending on how it is used, “Kurdish” can be an adjective and a noun.

Where does the word “Kurdish” come from?

The word “Kurdish” comes from Turkish. From "Kurd" plus the suffix "-ish," which marks nationality or language, as in "English" or "Turkish.".

Is “Kurdish” a common word?

“Kurdish” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “Kurdish” have?

“Kurdish” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: relating to Kurdistan, the Kurdish people, or their language.

What is the difference between "Kurd" and "Kurdish"?

"Kurd" refers to a person belonging to the Kurdish ethnic group, while "Kurdish" is the adjective and language name describing anything relating to Kurdistan, the Kurdish people, or their language.

What countries is Kurdish spoken in?

Kurdish is spoken across Kurdistan, a region spanning parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

Is Kurdish one single language?

No, "Kurdish" actually refers to a group of related Indo-Iranian languages rather than one uniform language, with variation across the different regions where it's spoken.

Is Kurdish more closely related to Arabic or Persian?

Kurdish belongs to the Indo-Iranian language family, which makes it more closely related to Persian than to Arabic, since Arabic belongs to the separate Semitic language family.

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Vocabulary lists that include Kurdish:

Words with Turkish origins Words that end with H Words that start with K