snd ISO 639
سنڌي (Sindhi) Autonyms
Sindhi
Visualizations
A language of Pakistan
- ISO 639
- snd
- Autonym
- سنڌي (Sindhi)
- Population
- 31,000,000 in Pakistan (2017 census). Ethnic population: 26,000,000 (2014 World Factbook). Total users in all countries: 33,217,150.
- Location
- Balochistan province: Khuzdar and Lasbela districts; Sindh province: widespread, Indus river lower reaches; Hyderabad, Karachi.
- Language Maps
- India: Index map, Southern Pakistan
- Language Status
- 2 (Provincial). De facto provincial language in Sindh.
- Classification
- Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Outer Languages, Northwestern, Sindhi
- Dialects
- Lari, Lasi, Thareli, Vicholo (Central Sindhi, Viccholi, Vicholi), Macharia, Dukslinu (Hindu Sindhi), Sindhi Musalmani (Muslim Sindhi), Shikari Bhil, Katiawari Kachi. Some southern Bhil groups speak dialects of Sindhi. 100,000 in rural Sindh originally from Kathiawar Peninsula in India are Muslims, exhibit widespread bilingualism in Sindh, and are almost completely assimilated with the Sindhi people.
- Typology
- SOV; noun head final; gender (masculine/feminine); case-marking (8 cases); verb affixes mark person, number, gender of subject; passives; tense and aspect; 24 consonant and 15 vowel phonemes.
- Language Use
- Also use Saraiki [skr], in northern Sind. Used as L2 by Aer [aeq], Bagri [bgq], Dhatki [mki], Ghera [ghr], Goaria [gig], Gurgula [ggg], Jandavra [jnd], Jogi [jog], Loarki [lrk], Marwari [mve], Memoni [mby], Oadki [odk], Parkari Koli [kvx], Sansi [ssi], Sindhi Bhil [sbn], Vaghri [vgr].
- Language Development
- Taught as subject in most primary schools. Literature. Radio. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1954.
- Writing
- Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab], primary usage. Devanagari script [Deva], used in India. Gurmukhi script [Guru], used in India. Khojki script [Khoj].
- Other Comments
- Shikari (hunter) Bhils are a nomadic group of 2,000 to 3,000 who live in south Sindh Province, centered around Badin, and have adopted the Sindhi language. Muslim, Hindu.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Sindhi
Also Spoken in
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United Arab Emirates
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
109,000 in United Arab Emirates (2020).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Afghanistan
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
21,000 in Afghanistan (2017 J. Leclerc).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Belize
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
1,200 in Belize (2011).
- Dialects
- Bhatia, Jadeji, Kayasthi, Lari, Lasi, Thareli, Thari, Viccholi, Visholi.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Canada
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
11,900 in Canada (2016 census).
- Location
- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh states.
- Dialects
- Bhatia, Jadeji, Kayasthi, Lari, Lasi, Thareli, Thari, Viccholi, Visholi.
- Language Status
- 7 (Shifting)
- Language Use
- Many Sindhi do not learn their traditional ethnic language. Adults only. Mainly women and older adult speakers. Shifting to Hindi [hin]. Also use English [eng].
- Language Development
- Taught in primary and secondary schools through grade 5 and as subject thereafter in Rajasthan state.
- Other Comments
- Official language of the Sindhi community. Hindu. View other languages of India
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
1,740,000 in India (2011 census). Ethnic population: 3,000,000.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Kenya
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
3,300 in Kenya (2020 Joshua Project), based on ethnicity.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Malaysia
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
30,000 in Malaysia (2021 Joshua Project), based on ethnicity.
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Oman
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
14,700 in Oman (2020).
- Location
- National Capital Region: Metro Manila.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. They established retail shops, beginning around 1900 and have moved more into wholesale, finance and other types of enterprises. They have managed to preserve at least some of their cultural heritage. View other languages of Philippines
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
20,000 in Philippines (1997).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Saudi Arabia
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
251,000 in Saudi Arabia (2020).
- Location
- Scattered.
- Language Status
- 5 (Dispersed)
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of Singapore
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
3,970 in Singapore (2010 census).
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Language Use
- Most also use English [eng].
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. View other languages of United States
Language Name
Sindhi
User Population
8,970 in United States (2015 census).
