pes ISO 639
فارسی (Fārsi) Autonyms
Persian, Iranian
Visualizations
A language of Iran
- ISO 639
- pes
- Alternate Names
- Farsi, New Persian, Parsi, Persian, West Persian, Western Farsi
- Autonym
- فارسی (Fārsi)
- Population
- 73,500,000 in Iran, all users. L1 users: 52,500,000 in Iran (2019), increasing. 800,000 Eastern Farsi in Khorasan speak dialects which are transitional with Iranian Persian. L2 users: 21,000,000 (2019). Total users in all countries: 77,382,850 (as L1: 56,382,850; as L2: 21,000,000).
- Location
- Widespread.
- Language Maps
- Language Status
- 1 (National). Statutory national language (1979, Constitution, Article 15).
- Classification
- Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Southwestern, Persian
- Dialects
- Khuzestani, Ketabi, Tehrani, Fars Persian, Malayeri, Qazvini (Qazvini Persian), Mahalati (Mahalhamadani), Kashani, Esfahani, Sevei, Kermani (Kermani Persian), Araki, Karbalai, Sistani Persian, Mashadi (Meshed), Yazdi, Bandari, Bushehri, Kermanshahi Persian, Gorgani Persian, Perso-Tabaric, Qomi Persian, Khorasan Persian. Mutually intelligible with Dari [prs] and Tajiki [tgk]. Literary language virtually identical in Iran and Afghanistan, with very minor lexical differences. Many dialects may be separate languages. A member of macrolanguage Persian [fas].
- Typology
- SOV; noun head initial; no articles; tense and aspect; causatives; 23 consonant and 6 vowel phonemes; stress on final syllable (or root).
- Language Use
- Vigorous. All domains. Used by all. Also use English [eng]. Also use Northern Luri [lrc]. Also use South Azerbaijani [azb]. Also use Southern Luri [luz].
- Language Development
- Taught in all primary and secondary schools. Fully developed. Bible: 1845–1995.
- Writing
- Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Arabic script, Nastaliq variant [Aran], used in Iran.
- Other Comments
- Muslim, Baha’i, Christian.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Persian, Iranian
Also Spoken in
- Location
- Dubayy emirate.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Muslim. View other languages of United Arab Emirates
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
324,000 in United Arab Emirates (2020).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Austria
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
10,700 in Austria (2003 UNSD).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Australia
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
58,300 in Australia (2016 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Azerbaijan
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
1,400 in Azerbaijan (Leclerc 2017b).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Belgium
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
12,900 in Belgium (2020 census), based on nationality.
- Location
- Al-Manāmah and Al-Muharraq governorates.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Descendants of Persians of the post-Ottoman pre-British era when Bahrain belonged to Persia and later Iran. Muslim. View other languages of Bahrain
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
254,000 in Bahrain (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Canada
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
214,000 in Canada (2016 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Germany
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
123,000 in Germany (2020 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Denmark
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
17,200 in Denmark (2020 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Finland
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
16,400 in Finland (2021 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of France
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
40,000 in France (2015 J. Leclerc).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United Kingdom
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
76,400 in United Kingdom (2011 census).
- Location
- Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh states; communities in Aligarh, Bhopal, Chota, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Nagpur; scattered throughout.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Most widely spoken foreign language in India after English and Arabic. View other languages of India
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
18,000 in India (IMA 1997).
- Location
- Al Basrah, Diyala, Maysan, and Wasit governorates: Iran border area.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Muslim. View other languages of Iraq
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
480,000 in Iraq (2020).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Japan
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
50,000 in Japan (Leclerc 2020b).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Kuwait
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
53,000 in Kuwait (2011 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Netherlands
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
31,100 in Netherlands (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Norway
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
23,800 in Norway (2021 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of New Zealand
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
7,000 in New Zealand (2018 census).
- Location
- Muscat governorate: Muttrah and Ruwi areas near Muscat city; possibly other coastal cities.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Language Use
- Many women speak only Farsi. Men who go outside the community speak Arabic as L2, and many know 2 or 3 other languages.
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Muslim. View other languages of Oman
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
67,900 in Oman (2020).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Pakistan
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
185,000 in Pakistan (2018).
- Location
- Scattered.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Muslim. View other languages of Qatar
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
283,000 in Qatar (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Russian Federation
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
13,100 in Russian Federation (2012 UNSD).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Saudi Arabia
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
232,000 in Saudi Arabia (2018), based on ethnicity.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Sweden
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
9,850 in Sweden (2020 census), based on nationality.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Syria
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
47,000 in Syria (2019).
- Location
- Khatlon region: various economic development sites; Dushanbe.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Not a literary language in Tajikistan. Muslim. View other languages of Tajikistan
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
89,200 in Tajikistan (2017).
- Location
- Ashgabat.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Turkmenistan
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
16,000 in Turkmenistan (Leclerc 2019b), based on ethnicity.
- Location
- Van province: Edremit and Van district on Lake Van eastern shore.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Turkey
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
682,000 in Turkey (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Language Use
- Many also use English [eng].
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United States
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
391,000 in United States (2015 census). Identified as Persian in census. No distinction between Iranian Persian [pes] and Dari (Afghan Persian) [prs].
- Location
- Xorazm region; scattered elsewhere.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Uzbekistan
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
33,300 in Uzbekistan (2019).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Yemen
Language Name
Persian, Iranian
User Population
22,300 in Yemen (2020).
