Dialects and Scripts

Complete guide to Kurdish dialects and script support in the Kurdish Calendar library.

Overview

The library supports three major Kurdish dialects (Sorani, Kurmanji, and Hawrami) in both Latin and Arabic scripts, plus Gregorian calendar formatting with Kurdish Sorani and Kurdish Kurmanji month names.

Supported Combinations

Calendar Dialect Latin Script Arabic Script
Kurdish Calendar Sorani ✓ ✓
  Kurmanji ✓ ✓
  Hawrami ✓ ✓
Gregorian Calendar Sorani ✓ ✓
  Kurmanji ✓ ✓

Total: 10 dialect/script combinations

Kurdish Calendar Dialects

Sorani

Sorani is spoken primarily in Iraqi Kurdistan and Iranian Kurdistan.

Month Names

Latin Script:

  1. Xakelêwe
  2. Gulan
  3. Cozerdan
  4. Pûşper
  5. Gelawêj
  6. Xermanan
  7. Rezber
  8. Gelarêzan
  9. Sermawez
  10. Befranbar
  11. Rêbendan
  12. Reşeme

Arabic Script:

  1. خاکەلێوە
  2. گوڵان
  3. جۆزەردان
  4. پووشپەڕ
  5. گەلاوێژ
  6. خەرمانان
  7. ڕەزبەر
  8. گەڵاڕێزان
  9. سەرماوەز
  10. بەفرانبار
  11. ڕێبەندان
  12. ڕەشەمە

Day Names

Latin Script:

Arabic Script:

Usage:

KurdishDate date = new KurdishDate(2725, 1, 1);

// Sorani Latin
Console.WriteLine(date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.SoraniLatin));
// Output: "1 Xakelêwe 2725"

// Sorani Arabic
Console.WriteLine(date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.SoraniArabic));
// Output: "١ خاکەلێوە ٢٧٢٥"

Kurmanji

Kurmanji is spoken in Turkey, Syria, parts of Iraq, and diaspora communities.

Month Names

Same as Sorani for the Kurdish calendar (Xakelêwe, Gulan, etc.).

Note: Kurdish calendar month names are shared across Sorani and Kurmanji. The primary difference is in Gregorian calendar month names (see Gregorian Dialects section below).

Usage:

KurdishDate date = new KurdishDate(2725, 6, 15);

// Kurmanji Latin
Console.WriteLine(date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.KurmanjiLatin));
// Output: "15 Xermanan 2725"

// Kurmanji Arabic
Console.WriteLine(date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.KurmanjiArabic));
// Output: "١٥ خەرمانان ٢٧٢٥"

Hawrami

Hawrami (Gorani) is spoken in parts of Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan.

Month Names

Source: Zaniary.com (https://zaniary.com/blog/61ec1e25bfc4e)

Latin Script:

  1. Newroz
  2. Pajerej
  3. Çêlkirr
  4. Kopir
  5. Gelawêj
  6. Awewere
  7. Tarazî
  8. Gellaxezan
  9. Kelleherz
  10. Arga
  11. Rabrân
  12. Siyawkam

Arabic Script:

  1. نەوروز
  2. پاژەرەژ
  3. چێڵکڕ
  4. کۆپڕ
  5. گەلاوێژ
  6. ئاوەوەرە
  7. تارازیێ
  8. گەڵاخەزان
  9. کەڵەهەرز
  10. ئارگا
  11. ڕابڕان
  12. سیاوکام

Day Names

Source: D.N. MacKenzie, “The Dialect of Awroman (Hawrämän-i Luhön)” (1966), pages 21-22

Latin Script:

Arabic Script:

Usage:

KurdishDate date = new KurdishDate(2725, 1, 1);

// Hawrami Latin
Console.WriteLine(date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.HawramiLatin));
// Output: "1 Newroz 2725"

// Hawrami Arabic
Console.WriteLine(date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.HawramiArabic));
// Output: "١ نەوروز ٢٧٢٥"

Gregorian Calendar Dialects

Sorani Gregorian

Used for formatting Gregorian dates with Sorani Kurdish month names.

Source: Kurdistan Regional Government (gov.krd) official publications

Month Names

Latin Script:

  1. Kanûnî Duhem (January)
  2. Şubat (February)
  3. Adar (March)
  4. Nîsan (April)
  5. Ayar (May)
  6. Hûzeyran (June)
  7. Temmûz (July)
  8. Ab (August)
  9. Eylûl (September)
  10. Tişrînî Yekem (October)
  11. Tişrînî Duhem (November)
  12. Kanûnî Yekem (December)

Arabic Script:

  1. کانونی دووەم (January)
  2. شوبات (February)
  3. ئادار (March)
  4. نیسان (April)
  5. ئایار (May)
  6. حوزەیران (June)
  7. تەمووز (July)
  8. ئاب (August)
  9. ئەیلول (September)
  10. تشرینی یەکەم (October)
  11. تشرینی دووەم (November)
  12. کانونی یەکەم (December)

Usage:

DateTime gregorian = new DateTime(2025, 1, 15);

// Sorani Gregorian Latin
string formatted = gregorian.ToSoraniGregorian();
// Output: "15 Kanûnî Duhem 2025"

// Sorani Gregorian Arabic
string arabicFormatted = gregorian.ToSoraniGregorian(
  GregorianSoraniFormatter.ScriptType.Arabic
);
// Output: "١٥ کانونی دووەم ٢٠٢٥"

Kurmanji Gregorian

Used for formatting Gregorian dates with Kurmanji Kurdish month names.

Source: Kurdistan Regional Government (gov.krd) official publications

Month Names

Latin Script:

  1. Kanûna Duyê (January)
  2. Şubat (February)
  3. Adar (March)
  4. Nîsan (April)
  5. Gulan (May)
  6. Hezîran (June)
  7. Tîrmeh (July)
  8. Tebax (August)
  9. Eylûl (September)
  10. Çiriya Êkê (October)
  11. Çiriya Duyê (November)
  12. Kanûna Êkê (December)

Arabic Script:

  1. کانوونا دویێ (January)
  2. شوبات (February)
  3. ئادار (March)
  4. نیسان (April)
  5. گولان (May)
  6. حەزیران (June)
  7. تیرمەه (July)
  8. تەباخ (August)
  9. ئەیلووڵ (September)
  10. چریا ێکێ (October)
  11. چریا دویێ (November)
  12. کانوونا ێکێ (December)

Usage:

DateTime gregorian = new DateTime(2025, 5, 15);

// Kurmanji Gregorian Latin
string formatted = gregorian.ToKurmanjiGregorian();
// Output: "15 Gulan 2025"

// Kurmanji Gregorian Arabic
string arabicFormatted = gregorian.ToKurmanjiGregorian(
  GregorianKurmanjiFormatter.ScriptType.Arabic
);
// Output: "١٥ گولان ٢٠٢٥"

Script Systems

Latin Script

Characteristics:

Example:

KurdishDate date = new KurdishDate(2725, 6, 15);
Console.WriteLine(date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.SoraniLatin));
// Output: "15 Xermanan 2725"

Arabic Script

Characteristics:

Numeral System:

Example:

KurdishDate date = new KurdishDate(2725, 6, 15);
Console.WriteLine(date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.SoraniArabic));
// Output: "٢٧٢٥ خەرمانان ١٥" (RTL: year month day)

Console.WriteLine(date.ToString("d", KurdishDialect.SoraniArabic));
// Output: "١٥/٠٦/٢٧٢٥" (LTR: day/month/year)

Choosing the Right Dialect

Based on Region

Region Recommended Dialect
Iraqi Kurdistan (Erbil, Sulaymaniyah) Sorani
Iranian Kurdistan Sorani
Turkish Kurdistan Kurmanji
Syrian Kurdistan Kurmanji
Diaspora (general) Kurmanji or Sorani
Hawraman region Hawrami

Based on Script Preference

User Base Recommended Script
Iraq Arabic or Latin (both common)
Iran Arabic (primarily)
Turkey Latin (primarily)
Syria Arabic or Latin
Diaspora Latin (primarily)

Based on Calendar

Use Case Recommended
Cultural events, genealogy Kurdish Calendar (KurdishDate)
Official documents (KRG) Gregorian with Kurdish month names
International coordination Gregorian calendar

Working with Multiple Dialects

Display Same Date in All Dialects

KurdishDate date = new KurdishDate(2725, 1, 1);

Console.WriteLine("Kurdish Calendar (Newroz 2725):");
Console.WriteLine($"Sorani Latin:    {date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.SoraniLatin)}");
Console.WriteLine($"Sorani Arabic:   {date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.SoraniArabic)}");
Console.WriteLine($"Kurmanji Latin:  {date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.KurmanjiLatin)}");
Console.WriteLine($"Kurmanji Arabic: {date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.KurmanjiArabic)}");
Console.WriteLine($"Hawrami Latin:   {date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.HawramiLatin)}");
Console.WriteLine($"Hawrami Arabic:  {date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.HawramiArabic)}");

// Output:
// Sorani Latin:    1 Xakelêwe 2725
// Sorani Arabic:   ١ خاکەلێوە ٢٧٢٥
// Kurmanji Latin:  1 Xakelêwe 2725
// Kurmanji Arabic: ١ خاکەلێوە ٢٧٢٥
// Hawrami Latin:   1 Newroz 2725
// Hawrami Arabic:  ١ نەوروز ٢٧٢٥

Try Parsing with Multiple Dialects

bool TryParseAnyDialect(string input, out KurdishDate result)
{
  KurdishDialect[] dialects = new[]
  {
    KurdishDialect.SoraniLatin,
    KurdishDialect.SoraniArabic,
    KurdishDialect.KurmanjiLatin,
    KurdishDialect.KurmanjiArabic,
    KurdishDialect.HawramiLatin,
    KurdishDialect.HawramiArabic
  };

  foreach (var dialect in dialects)
  {
    if (KurdishDate.TryParse(input, dialect, out result))
    {
      Console.WriteLine($"Parsed as {dialect}");
      return true;
    }
  }

  result = default;
  return false;
}

Regional Variations

Sorani Variations

Note: Sorani has some regional spelling variations. The library uses transliterations verified against Kurdistan Regional Government publications.

Kurmanji Variations

Note: Kurmanji has dialectal variations across Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. The library uses standard forms common in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Hawrami Variations

Note: Hawrami month names sourced from Zaniary.com documentation. Day names from D.N. MacKenzie’s linguistic research (1966). Regional variations may exist and should be verified with local speakers.

Verifying Names for Your Region

To verify month and day names match your regional usage:

  1. Check the names in actual usage
  2. Consult with native speakers
  3. Compare with official regional publications
  4. Report discrepancies for future updates

Sources Used:

Best Practices

1. Be Explicit About Dialect

// Good - explicit dialect
string formatted = date.ToString("D", KurdishDialect.SoraniLatin);

// Avoid - relies on defaults
string formatted = date.ToString("D");

2. Store Dialect Preference

public class UserPreferences
{
  public KurdishDialect PreferredDialect { get; set; }
  
  public string FormatDate(KurdishDate date)
  {
    return date.ToString("D", PreferredDialect);
  }
}

3. Provide Dialect Selection

// Let users choose their preferred dialect and script
public enum PreferredLanguage
{
  SoraniLatin,
  SoraniArabic,
  KurmanjiLatin,
  KurmanjiArabic,
  HawramiLatin,
  HawramiArabic
}

public KurdishDialect ToDialect(PreferredLanguage pref)
{
  return pref switch
  {
    PreferredLanguage.SoraniLatin => KurdishDialect.SoraniLatin,
    PreferredLanguage.SoraniArabic => KurdishDialect.SoraniArabic,
    PreferredLanguage.KurmanjiLatin => KurdishDialect.KurmanjiLatin,
    PreferredLanguage.KurmanjiArabic => KurdishDialect.KurmanjiArabic,
    PreferredLanguage.HawramiLatin => KurdishDialect.HawramiLatin,
    PreferredLanguage.HawramiArabic => KurdishDialect.HawramiArabic,
    _ => KurdishDialect.SoraniLatin
  };
}

See Also

بەختێکی باش! (Good luck!)