ars ISO 639
نجدي (Najdi) Autonyms
Arabic, Najdi Spoken
Visualizations
A language of Saudi Arabia
- ISO 639
- ars
- Alternate Names
- Najdi
- Autonym
- نجدي (Najdi)
- Population
- 14,600,000 in Saudi Arabia (2018), based on ethnicity. Total users in all countries: 18,156,010.
- Location
- Widespread, especially interior areas; includes Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Qasim, and Ha’il provinces; Al Madinah al Munawwarah province: Ta’if area and east; Ash Sharqiyah province north; Ar Riyad province: all but southeast; ’Asir and Najran provinces: south and west; Jizan province: small border area; Tabuk province: northeast.
- Language Maps
- Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan and Syria
- Language Status
- 3 (Wider communication). De facto national working language. Widely spoken in Saudi Arabia in the 7th century with the development of nomadism. Used in religion, trade, and among Bedouin tribes.
- Classification
- Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic
- Dialects
- North Najdi (Bani Khaalid, Dafiir, Shammari), Central Najdi (’Ajmaan, ’Awaazim, ’Utaiba, Al-Qasiim, Biishah, Haayil, Hofuf, Mutair, Najraan, Rashaayda, Riyadh, Rwala, Sudair, Wild ’Ali), South Najdi (Aal Murrah, Najran). Some dialects spoken by Bedouins. A member of macrolanguage Arabic [ara].
- Typology
- SVO.
- Language Development
- Grammar. Bible portions: 2013.
- Writing
- Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab].
- Other Comments
- Muslim.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Arabic, Najdi Spoken
Also Spoken in
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Canada
Language Name
Arabic, Najdi Spoken
User Population
3,310 in Canada (2016). Total Arabic speakers in Canada: 420,000 (2016 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United Kingdom
Language Name
Arabic, Najdi Spoken
User Population
10,700 in United Kingdom (2011). Total Arabic speakers in the United Kingdom: 159,000 (2011 census).
- Location
- Widespread; Al Anbar, Al Muthanna, and An Najaf governorates: western desert, (Central Najdi dialect); Ninawa governorate: south between the rivers to the Syrian border (North Najdi dialect); Al Basrah, Al Qadisiyah, Babil, Dhi Qar, Ninawa, An Najaf, and Salah ad Din governorates.
- Dialects
- North Najdi (Shammar), Central Najdi.
- Language Status
- 6a (Vigorous) View other languages of Iraq
Language Name
Arabic, Najdi Spoken
User Population
1,730,000 in Iraq (2020).
- Location
- Al ‘Aqabah, Al Mafraq, Az-Zarqa’, and southeast Ma‘an governorates; scattered settlements far eastern Jordan.
- Language Status
- 6a (Vigorous) View other languages of Jordan
Language Name
Arabic, Najdi Spoken
User Population
104,000 in Jordan (Leclerc 2021), based on ethnicity.
- Location
- Al Jahra’ governorate: Ash-Sheqaya, As-Salmi, and Bir Mahafzah areas; mainly Ab Dali south to Al Jahra’.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Kuwait
Language Name
Arabic, Najdi Spoken
User Population
428,000 in Kuwait (2017).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Qatar
Language Name
Arabic, Najdi Spoken
User Population
57,000 in Qatar (2019).
- Location
- Widespread; eastern Syrian desert.
- Language Status
- 6a (Vigorous)
- Language Use
- Spoken by Bedouins. View other languages of Syria
Language Name
Arabic, Najdi Spoken
User Population
1,220,000 in Syria (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United States
Language Name
Arabic, Najdi Spoken
User Population
3,000 in United States (2015). Total Arabic speakers in the United States: 924,000 (2015 census).
