Learn Dari Online with the Vocabo Chrome Extension

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Master Dari vocabulary while browsing the web. Free Chrome extension for language learners. Dari is spoken by 15 million native, 33 million total people. Dari is one of Afghanistan's two official languages and the language of most of its literature, media, and government, so it opens up direct communication across most of the country outside Pashto-speaking areas.

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About Dari

Until 1964, Afghanistan's constitution and government referred to the language simply as 'Farsi'. It was then officially renamed 'Dari', from a word meaning 'of the court', reflecting its historical role as the administrative language of Persian-influenced empires and asserting it as Afghanistan's own national language rather than one imported from Iran.

Also known as: Afghan Persian, Dari Persian

Speakers

15 million native, 33 million total

Language Family

Indo-European (Indo-Iranian, Western Iranian)

Writing System

Perso-Arabic script

Difficulty

Medium

Spoken in

Afghanistan (Kabul, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Bamiyan)IranPakistan

Why Learn Dari?

Dari is one of Afghanistan's two official languages and the language of most of its literature, media, and government, so it opens up direct communication across most of the country outside Pashto-speaking areas.

Common Dari Words

Start your Dari journey with these essential words and phrases.

سلام

Hello

sa-LAAM

تشکر

Thank you

ta-sha-KOR

بله

Yes

ba-LEH

نه

No

nah

آب

Water

aab

نان

Food, bread

naan

دوست

Friend

dost

محبت

Love

mo-HUB-but

خانه

House

KHA-na

آفتاب

Sun

af-TAAB

روز

Day

rohz

دری

Dari (the language's own name)

da-REE

History of Dari

Dari descends from Middle Persian, the official language of the Sassanid Empire, and later served as a literary and administrative language across much of Central and South Asia, which is how it shaped vocabulary in Hindi, Urdu, and other regional languages during the Mughal period. It has been spoken in the territory of modern Afghanistan for over a thousand years. Afghanistan's 2004 constitution names Dari and Pashto as the country's two official languages, and the standard Kabuli dialect has been reinforced since the 1940s through Radio Afghanistan broadcasts.

Is Dari Hard to Learn?

Medium

Dari is essentially the same language as Iranian Persian (fa), so learners of one can read and largely understand the other, but Dari keeps some vowel distinctions and diphthongs that Iranian Persian has merged or simplified, and it uses a bilabial 'w' sound where Iranian Persian uses 'v'. The main obstacle for English speakers is the Perso-Arabic script itself, written right to left with most letters changing shape depending on their position in a word. Persian grammar is otherwise comparatively regular, with no grammatical gender and simple, regular noun plurals.

Learning Dari Online: FAQ

Can I learn Dari online for free?

Yes — Vocabo is a free Chrome extension that teaches you Dari vocabulary while you browse the web. It replaces words and short phrases on pages you already read with their Dari equivalents, so you pick up vocabulary passively — no sign-up, no ads, and no daily lesson grind.

Is Dari on Duolingo?

No — Duolingo doesn't currently offer a Dari course for English speakers. You can still learn Dari online for free: Vocabo supports Dari and builds your vocabulary naturally while you browse.

Similar Languages to Dari

If you're interested in Dari, you might also want to explore these related languages:

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