What is Behdînî (Badini Kurdish)? The Kurmancî of Duhok
Behdînî, often spelled Badini, is the Kurmancî of Duhok, Zakho and Amêdî. Here is where the name comes from, how it is written and what makes it sound different.
Behdînî, often spelled Badini or Bahdini in English, is the Kurdish spoken in and around Duhok in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Linguists do not treat it as a separate language: it is a regional form of Kurmancî (Northern Kurdish), the dialect of most Kurds in Turkey and Syria. What makes it stand out is its sound, some words of its own and the alphabet it is usually written in.
What is Behdînî?
Linguists place Behdînî among the southeastern dialects of Kurmancî. You hear it in towns such as Duhok, Zakho, Amadiya (Amêdî) and Akre, and in nearby parts of Erbil and Nineveh provinces.
The dialect does not stop at the border. Very similar Kurmancî is spoken across the mountains in Turkey’s Hakkari province and in the nearby corner of northwestern Iran. Researchers stress that there is no sharp dialect line between Iraq and Turkey here.
There is no official count of Behdînî speakers. A figure of around two million is often quoted, but like most numbers for Kurdish, it is only an estimate.
At its core, Behdînî works like the rest of Kurmancî. Nouns are masculine or feminine, and they change their endings depending on their role in the sentence. Soranî, the other big Kurdish dialect of Iraq, has neither grammatical gender nor these case endings, so this is one of the clearest signs that Behdînî belongs to the Kurmancî family.
Where the name comes from
The name comes from Behdînan (Bahdinan), the historical name of the region around Duhok. Behdînan was also a Kurdish emirate, a principality ruled by its own princes. It was named after its founder, a ruler called Baha al-Din.
The emirate was founded in the 13th or 14th century, and for most of its history its capital was Amêdî. The town sits on top of a flat-topped mountain, and the old gate into it is still known as the Bahdinan Gate.
Amêdî was also a place of learning. Its Qubahan school, founded in the 16th century, drew students from across Kurdistan and beyond. The emirate lasted for nearly five centuries, until the Ottoman Empire brought the region under its direct rule in the first half of the 19th century.
So when people from Duhok call their Kurdish Behdînî, they are naming it after a region and a princely house with a long history. Kurds in Turkey and Syria usually just call the same family of dialects Kurmancî.
Behdînî, Badînî, Badini, Bahdini and Behdini all mean the same thing. In Kurdish Latin letters you will see Behdînî or Badînî; in English, Badini and Bahdini are the most common.
Two alphabets for one dialect
The biggest visible difference is the script. In Iraq, Behdînî is usually written in the Arabic-based Kurdish alphabet, the same alphabet that Soranî uses. It runs from right to left, like Arabic, and adds a few letters for Kurdish sounds.
In Turkey and Syria, Kurmancî is written in Latin letters. This alphabet goes back to Celadet Alî Bedirxan, who published it in his magazine Hawar in 1932. It is the alphabet you see in words like Silav (hello) and Spas (thank you).
The result can surprise learners. A speaker from Duhok and a speaker from Diyarbakır both speak Kurmancî, yet they usually write it in different alphabets. The Latin alphabet is also used to some extent in Iraq, so you may meet Behdînî in both scripts.
Sounds and words: Duhok and Turkey
Behdînî and the Kurmancî of Turkey and Syria share most of their basic words. Even so, linguists have found that the southeastern dialects have more words of their own than any other part of Kurmancî. Several of the differences bring Behdînî a little closer to Soranî.
The best-known Behdînî sound is a vowel. In the Kurmancî of the whole southeast, the long û is pronounced further forward in the mouth. Around Duhok and Zakho it goes one step further: in some words it becomes î, for example in bû (was) and in the word for “far”. Soranî keeps the û sound in these words, so this change belongs to southeastern Kurmancî itself.
Other differences are easier to see side by side. The table shows two everyday expressions in standard Kurmancî and Soranî, and what tends to change in Behdînî:
| Kurmancî | Soranî | English | What changes in Behdînî |
|---|---|---|---|
| îro | ئەمڕۆ | today | a form that sounds closer to the Soranî word is common |
| bi te re | لەگەڵ تۆ | with you | one small word in front of the pronoun, as in Soranî |
For “today”, many Behdînî speakers use a form that sounds closer to the Soranî word ئەمڕۆ, while îro is heard in the region too.
The word for “with” shows the same pull. Kurmancî in Turkey puts the person between two small words, as in bi te re. Behdînî uses a single word in front instead, much like Soranî does.
Small grammar differences
In grammar, Behdînî is still clearly Kurmancî: it keeps the genders and case endings that Soranî lacks. Linguists also describe it as conservative, because it keeps some older verb endings that dialects further west have dropped. At the same time, it has a few habits of its own:
- The future. Behdînî tends to use the full future word, which begins with a d. Many speakers in Turkey use only its short form, as in Ez ê îşev bixwînim (I will study tonight).
- “Can”. Where Kurmancî in Turkey says dikarim (I can), Behdînî often uses a different verb, one of the words seen as typical of the dialect.
- Plural endings. The ending that links a plural noun to the next word, as in Cîranên min baş in (my neighbours are kind), often ends in d or t instead of n in Behdînî.
- “He” and “she”. In the present tense, the verb ending for he or she keeps a final t that other dialects have dropped.
These differences leave the basic shape of a sentence untouched. If you know Kurmancî, you will recognise Behdînî grammar; you just need to get used to a few new endings and words.
If you plan to read Behdînî in Iraq, learn the Arabic-based Kurdish letters as well as the Latin ones. The words stay the same; only the letters change.
Should you learn Behdînî or Kurmancî?
If your family comes from Duhok, Zakho or Amêdî, Behdînî is the Kurdish of home. The good news is that what you learn in standard Kurmancî carries over: the grammar is the same at heart, and most basic words are shared.
Start with Kurmancî basics, such as the greetings in our guide to saying hello in Kurdish. Then listen to family and friends for the Behdînî sounds and words described above. The accent comes with listening.
In ZimanGo, Kurmancî and Soranî are available today, and Behdînî is coming soon. Until then, the Kurmancî course is the closest place to start. For the bigger picture, read our guides to Kurdish dialects and Kurmancî vs Soranî.
Questions people ask
Is Badini the same as Kurmanji?
Yes. Behdînî (Badini) is a regional form of Kurmancî spoken around Duhok in Iraq. It shares Kurmancî grammar and most basic words, but has its own accent, some local words and, in Iraq, a different alphabet.
Is Badini written in Arabic or Latin letters?
In Iraq it is usually written in the Arabic-based Kurdish alphabet, the same one Soranî uses. Kurmancî in Turkey and Syria uses Latin letters, and these are also used to some extent in Iraq.
Where does the name Behdînî come from?
From Behdînan (Bahdinan), the region around Duhok and a Kurdish emirate whose capital was Amêdî (Amadiya). The emirate was named after its founder, Baha al-Din.
