Sindhi (सिन्धी / سنڌي)

Sindhi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in Pakistan, and also in India and Singapore. In Pakistan it is spoken in Sindh and Balochistan provinces, and in Hyderabad and Karachi, by about 31 million people (in 2017).

Sindhi at a glance

  • Native name: سنڌي‎, सिन्धी, ਸਿੰਧੀ, 𑈩𑈭𑈴𑈝𑈮, 𑋝𑋡𑋟𑋐𑋢 [ˈsɪndi]
  • Language family: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Northwestern Indo-Aryan
  • Number of speakers: c. 33 million
  • Spoken in: Pakistan, India
  • First written: 8th century
  • Writing systems: Khudawadi, Arabic, Devanagari, Gurmukhi and Khojki scripts
  • Status: official language in Sindh province of Pakistan, and in Rajasthan state in India

In 2011 there were about 1.7 million speakers of Sindhi in India in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Other countries with Sindhi speakers include the United Arab Emirates (102,000), Oman (25,400), Afghanistan (21,000) and Philippines (20,000).

Written Sindhi

Sindhi first appeared in writing in the 8th century AD and a number of different scripts have been used to write it, including Khojki, Khudabadi, Devanagari, Gurmukhi and Perso-Arabic. In the 19th century the Khudabadi script was used mainly by traders, the Devanagari script was used by Pandits, the Gurmukhi script was used by Hindu women, and the Perso-Arabic script was used by government officials. Sindhi literature, in particular lyric poetry, began to appear towards the end of the 15th century.

Perso-Arabic script for Sindhi (سنڌي الفابيٽ)

The modern Sindhi abjad is used in Pakistan and is based on the version of the Perso-Arabic script used to write Urdu. It was adopted, under British influence, in 1852.

Perso-Arabic script for Sindhi

Corrections provided by Lateef Sagar Shaikh

Hear how to pronounce the Sindhi alphabet:

Sample text in Sindhi

سمورا انسان آزاد ءِ عزت ءِ حقن ڄي حوالي ڪان نرانر پيداٿيا آهن. انهن ڪي عقل ءِ ضمير حاصل ٿيو آهي، ڪري انهن ڪي هڪ ٻئي سلن ڀلئيچار ي وارو ساوڪ اختيار ڪرڻ گهر جي.

Transliteration

Har insān āzād pedā thiyo āhe ên pehenje hakka ên vakkār lāe hū barābar jo hakdār āhe. Hunna khe tark ên cetnā jī tākat milī āhe. Ên hunna khe hik b’e je lāe bhāīcāre jī bhāvnā sān kam karaṇ khape.

Transliteration by Sammy Silvers

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Devanāgarī alphabet for Sindhi (सिन्धी अल्फ़ाबेट)

In India Sindhi is also written with a version of the Devanagari script.

Devanagari alphabet for Sindhi

Source: www.unics.uni-hannover.de/nhtcapri/sindhi-alphabet.html

Numerals

Arabic numerals and Sindhi numbers

Videos in Sindhi

Information about Sindhi | Phrases | Numbers

Links

Information about Sindhi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhi_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/snd
https://sites.google.com/site/sarvabhashin/en/sd

National Council for the Promotion of the Sindhi Language
http://ncpsl.gov.in

Free Arabic fonts for Sindhi
http://www.wazu.jp/gallery/Fonts_SindhiA.html
http://www.voiceofsindh.net/fonts.htm

Free Devanagari fonts
http://www.kiranfont.com

Indo-Aryan languages

Awadhi, Assamese, Bagri, Bengali, Bhili, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Braj, Chakma, Chhattisgarhi, Chittagonian, Desiya, Dhatki, Dhivehi, Dhundari, Fiji Hindi, Gawar Bati, Gujarati, Hajong, Halbi, Haryanvi, Hindi, Hindko, Kannauji, Khandeshi, Konkani, Kotia, Kumaoni, Kutchi, Lambadi, Marathi, Marwari, Mewari, Modi, Nimadi, Noakhailla, Odia, Parkari Koli, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Rajbanshi, Rangpuri, Rohingya, Saraiki, Sarnámi Hindustani, Sindhi, Sinhala, Sourashtra, Sugali, Sylheti, Tanchangya, Urdu

Languages written with the Devanāgarī alphabet

Aka-Jeru, Angika, Athpare, Avestan, Awadhi, Bahing, Balti, Bantawa, Belhare, Bhili, Bhumij, Bilaspuri, Bodo, Bhojpuri, Braj, Car, Chamling, Chhantyal, Chhattisgarhi, Chambeali, Danwar, Dhatki, Dhimal, Dhundari, Digaro Mishmi, Dogri, Doteli, Gaddi, Garhwali, Gondi, Gurung, Halbi, Haryanvi, Hindi, Ho, Jarawa, Jaunsari, Jirel, Jumli, Kagate, Kannauji, Kham, Kangri, Kashmiri, Khaling, Khandeshi, Kharia, Khortha, Korku, Konkani, Kullui, Kumaoni, Kurmali, Kurukh, Kusunda, Lambadi, Limbu, Lhomi, Lhowa, Magahi, Magar, Mahasu Pahari, Maithili, Maldivian, Malto, Mandeali, Marathi, Marwari, Mewari, Mundari, Nancowry. Newar, Nepali, Nimadi, Nishi, Onge, Pahari, Pali, Pangwali, Rajasthani, Rajbanshi, Rangpuri, Sadri, Sanskrit, Santali, Saraiki, Sirmauri, Sherpa, Shina, Sindhi, Sunwar, Sylheti, Tamang, Thakali, Thangmi, Wambule, Wancho, Yakkha, Yolmo

Other languages written with the Arabic script

Page last modified: 13.12.21

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