If you’re planning a trip to Tehran or just curious about the Middle East, you’ve probably asked: what language do Iranians speak? Most people jump straight to "Arabic" or "Farsi." While one of those is technically right, it barely scratches the surface.
Iran is a massive, mountainous puzzle. Honestly, it's one of the most linguistically diverse spots on the planet.
The Big One: Persian (Farsi) Explained Simply
Basically, Persian is the official language. If you walk into a government building in Shiraz or watch a news broadcast in Isfahan, that’s what you’re hearing. Locally, people call it Farsi.
It's an Indo-European language. That means it’s actually a distant cousin to English, German, and Spanish—not Arabic. This is the biggest "gotcha" for Westerners. While Persian uses a modified Arabic alphabet and has borrowed tons of vocabulary from Arabic over the centuries, the grammar is totally different.
Persian doesn't even have genders. No "he" or "she" in the way we think of it. It’s all just oo.
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Around 50% to 60% of Iranians speak Persian as their first language. But nearly everyone speaks it as a second language because it’s the medium of instruction in schools. If you’re a traveler, learning a few phrases like Salam (Hello) or Mersi (Thank you—yep, they borrowed that from the French) will get you a long way.
Farsi vs. Dari vs. Tajik
You might hear people talk about Dari in Afghanistan or Tajik in Tajikistan. Are they different languages? Sorta. They’re more like dialects. Think of it like American English vs. British English vs. Australian English. An Iranian can watch a movie from Kabul and understand almost everything, though the accent might sound a bit "old-fashioned" or "rustic" to them.
The Languages You Didn't Know Were There
Iran isn't a monolith. Not even close.
If you head to the northwest, near the borders of Turkey and Azerbaijan, you’ll hear Azeri (or Azerbaijani). This is a Turkic language. It sounds nothing like Persian. In cities like Tabriz, Azeri is the language of the streets, the bazaars, and the home. About 16% to 25% of the population speaks this. It’s a huge chunk of the country.
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Then you’ve got the Kurds.
Kurdish is spoken primarily in the west, in provinces like Kurdistan and Kermanshah. It’s also an Indo-European language, but it’s distinct enough from Persian that a Farsi speaker won’t understand a Kurdish conversation without help.
The Caspian Tongues
Up north, tucked between the Alborz Mountains and the Caspian Sea, things get even weirder. People in Gilan speak Gilaki, and those in Mazandaran speak Mazandarani.
- They are "Persian-adjacent" but have their own unique flair.
- Because these areas were historically isolated by high peaks, the languages evolved in their own bubble.
- The grammar in these regions can actually be more complex than standard Farsi.
What About Arabic?
This is where the confusion usually starts. Yes, Iranians speak Arabic, but usually only in the southwest, in Khuzestan (near the Iraqi border). Native Iranian Arabs make up about 2% to 4% of the population.
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However, every Iranian kid learns to read Arabic in school because of the Quran. Most adults can read the script and know religious phrases, but they can't actually hold a conversation with someone from Cairo or Dubai. It’s like a French person being able to read Latin but not being able to speak Italian.
The "Hidden" Minority Languages
You've also got smaller pockets of:
- Luri: Spoken by the Lurs in Western Iran. It’s very close to Middle Persian.
- Balochi: Spoken in the dry, southeast region of Sistan and Baluchestan. It sounds a bit more like languages from Pakistan or North India.
- Armenian and Neo-Aramaic: Spoken by Christian minorities in cities like Isfahan and Urmia.
Modern Shifts in 2026
The linguistic landscape is shifting a bit lately. With the massive protests and social unrest we've seen through 2025 and into early 2026, there’s a growing sense of "ethnic identity" tied to these languages. People are more vocal about their right to use their mother tongues in local media.
At the same time, the internet is "Persianizing" the youth. Gamers in Mashhad and TikTokers in Tehran use a slangy, English-infused version of Farsi that would make a 13th-century Persian poet like Rumi faint. They use "cool," "OK," and "on point" (often phonetically written in Persian script) constantly.
Practical Takeaways for Travelers and Researchers
If you’re interacting with Iranians, remember that identity is sensitive. Calling a Persian an "Arab" is a quick way to end a friendship.
- Stick to Persian (Farsi) for general travel. It is the lingua franca.
- Acknowledge regionality. If you’re in Tabriz, knowing a few words of Azeri isn't just helpful—it’s a sign of huge respect.
- Script vs. Language. Don't assume that because the writing looks like Arabic, the words mean the same thing. Look for the four extra letters in the Persian alphabet: پ (p), چ (ch), ژ (zh), and گ (g). If you see those, you’re looking at Persian.
Next Steps for Learning
If you want to dive deeper, don't just use a generic Middle Eastern phrasebook. Look for resources specifically tagged as "Tehrani Dialect" if you want to sound like a local. The formal "book" Persian is quite different from the "street" Persian spoken today. Start by mastering the Taarof—the complex system of Iranian etiquette—which is just as important as the words themselves.