Kurdish · Kurdî / کوردی
Directory 18 checked resources . A short orientation and a solid starting list.
About Kurdish
- Language family
- Indo-European, Iranian, Northwestern
- Where it's spoken
- Kurdistan region across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and diaspora
- Speakers
- roughly 20–40 million speakers across varieties
Kurdish covers several related Iranian varieties — mainly Kurmanji and Sorani — with different scripts. Choose one variety before you invest in apps or news. Kurmanji Latin materials and Rudaw/Kurdistan24 media are the easiest public starting points for many English speakers.
How to start
- New to this writing system? Start with the script trainer before heavy vocabulary work.
- Pick one free course (or free-with-upgrades) below and finish a short beginner unit before hopping apps.
- Bookmark one dictionary or grammar reference and look up every unknown word for a week.
- Add 10–15 minutes of native listening or learner video most days — news, radio, or a teaching channel.
- When ready, use a tutor marketplace listing below for short speaking sessions.
| Resource | Type | Levels | Cost | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learn Kurdish / Kurmanji courses | course free | A1-B1 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Rudaw | reading | B1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Kurdistan24 | listening | B1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Duolingo Kurdish | course free | A1-A2 | freemium | 2026-07-23 |
| Omniglot Kurdish | reference | A1-A2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Forvo Kurdish | listening | A1-C2 | freemium | 2026-07-23 |
| italki Kurdish tutors | tutoring | A1-C2 | paid | 2026-07-23 |
| Anki Shared Kurdish decks | course free | A1-B1 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Memrise Kurdish | course paid | A1-B1 | freemium | 2026-07-23 |
| Glosbe Kurdish | reference | A1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| YouTube Learn Kurdish | youtube channel | A1-B1 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| VOA Kurdish | listening | B1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Wikipedia Kurdish | reading | B1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| Clozemaster Kurdish | course paid | A2-B2 | freemium | 2026-07-23 |
|
Nûçe / news portals
English companion for context.
|
reading | B1-C2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
|
Script notes — Latin vs Arabic scripts
Pick Kurmanji (Latin) or Sorani (Arabic) early.
|
reference | A1-A2 | free | 2026-07-23 |
| YouTube lessons — Kurdish | youtube channel | A1-B1 | free | 2026-07-23 |
|
italki Kurdish tutors
Search available Kurdish tutors.
|
tutoring | A1-C2 | paid | 2026-07-23 |
Know a better classroom-friendly resource for Kurdish? Suggest it with attribution.