Kashmiri language

Kashmiri
Kashmiri
کٲشُر; कॉशुर; 𑆑𑆳𑆯𑆶𑆫𑇀;
	The word "Koshur" in Perso-Arabic script (contemporary, official status), Sharada script (ancient, liturgical) and Devanagari
Native to	India and Pakistan
Region	Kashmir (Kashmir Valley and surrounding areas of Jammu and Kashmir, parts of northern Azad Kashmir)
Ethnicity	Kashmiris
Native speakers	7.1 million (2011)
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Dardic Kashmiri; ; ; ;
Dialects	Kishtwari, Poguli;
Writing system	Official: Perso-Arabic script (contemporary); Others: Devanagari (informally used by some sections within the Kashmiri Pandit community after 1990),; Sharada script (ancient/liturgical)
Official status
Official language in	India Jammu and Kashmir;
Language codes
ISO 639-1	ks
ISO 639-2	kas
ISO 639-3	kas
Glottolog	kash1277
	Kashmiri is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
	This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

Kashmiri (English: /kæʃˈmɪəri/ kash-MEER-ee)^[13] or Koshur^[14] (Kashmiri: کٲشُر (Perso-Arabic, Official Script), pronounced [kəːʃur])^[1] is an Indo-Aryan language of the Dardic branch spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris of the Kashmir region,^[15] primarily in the Kashmir Valley and surrounding hills of the Indian-administrated union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, over half the population of that territory.^[16] Kashmiri has split ergativity and the unusual verb-second word order, not unlike independent clauses in standard German.

Since 2020, It has been made an official language of Jammu and Kashmir along with Dogri, Hindi, Urdu and English.^[17] Kashmiri is also among the 22 scheduled languages of India.

Kashmiri is spoken by roughly five percent of Pakistani-administrated Azad Kashmir's population.^[18]

^ ^a ^b ^c Kashmiri at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
^ Mahapatra, B. P. (1989). Constitutional languages. Presses Université Laval. p. 270. ISBN 978-2-7637-7186-1.
^ Nicolaus, Peter (2015). "Residues of Ancient Beliefs among the Shin in the Gilgit-Division and Western Ladakh". Iran & the Caucasus. 19 (3): 201–264. doi:10.1163/1573384X-20150302. ISSN 1609-8498. JSTOR 43899199.
^ ^a ^b ^c Sociolinguistics. Mouton de Gruyter. 1977. ISBN 9789027977229. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
^ "Valley divide impacts Kashmiri, Pandit youth switch to Devnagari". The Indian Express.
^ "There's a new Hindu-Muslim conflict in Kashmir—this time over one language, two scripts". The Print. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
^ Taru (22 October 2016). "Pandits want official status for Kashmiri written in Devanagari script". The Sunday Guardian Live. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
^ "Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh: Ethno-linguistic areas". koshur.org. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
^ "The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020". India Code. 26 September 2020.
^ "US Library of Congress Steps in to Save Dying Kashmiri Language". 21 February 2025.
^ Mustafa, Sheikh (13 April 2025). "Digital Guardians: Young Kashmiris Reviving Their Language".
^ Hadi, Lone (13 April 2025). "Losing Our Tongue: The Silent Shift from Kashmiri to English in Youth Spaces".
^ Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student's Handbook, Edinburgh
^ Bhat, M. Ashraf (1989). The Changing Language Roles and Linguistic Identities of the Kashmiri Speech Community. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 61. ISBN 9781443862608. Koshur, the language of Kashmiris, is said to be a Prakrit of the pure and original Sanskrit", remarks Lawrence
^ "Kashmiri language | Kashmiri language | Indo-Aryan, Dialects, Poetry | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
^ Jain, Danesh; Cardona, George (26 July 2007). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge. p. 895. ISBN 978-1-135-79710-2.
^ "Parliament passes Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020". The Hindu. 23 September 2020.
^ Bukhari, Shujaat (14 June 2011). "The other Kashmir". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 October 2020.

[e26-1] Kashmiri at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

[2] Mahapatra, B. P. (1989). Constitutional languages. Presses Université Laval. p. 270. ISBN 978-2-7637-7186-1.

[3] Nicolaus, Peter (2015). "Residues of Ancient Beliefs among the Shin in the Gilgit-Division and Western Ladakh". Iran & the Caucasus. 19 (3): 201–264. doi:10.1163/1573384X-20150302. ISSN 1609-8498. JSTOR 43899199.

[Mouton_de_Gruyter-4] Sociolinguistics. Mouton de Gruyter. 1977. ISBN 9789027977229. Retrieved 30 August 2009.

[5] "Valley divide impacts Kashmiri, Pandit youth switch to Devnagari". The Indian Express.

[6] "There's a new Hindu-Muslim conflict in Kashmir—this time over one language, two scripts". The Print. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.

[7] Taru (22 October 2016). "Pandits want official status for Kashmiri written in Devanagari script". The Sunday Guardian Live. Retrieved 27 July 2023.

[8] "Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh: Ethno-linguistic areas". koshur.org. Retrieved 2 June 2007.

[9] "The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020". India Code. 26 September 2020.

[10] "US Library of Congress Steps in to Save Dying Kashmiri Language". 21 February 2025.

[11] Mustafa, Sheikh (13 April 2025). "Digital Guardians: Young Kashmiris Reviving Their Language".

[12] Hadi, Lone (13 April 2025). "Losing Our Tongue: The Silent Shift from Kashmiri to English in Youth Spaces".

[13] Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student's Handbook, Edinburgh

[14] Bhat, M. Ashraf (1989). The Changing Language Roles and Linguistic Identities of the Kashmiri Speech Community. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 61. ISBN 9781443862608. Koshur, the language of Kashmiris, is said to be a Prakrit of the pure and original Sanskrit", remarks Lawrence

[15] "Kashmiri language | Kashmiri language | Indo-Aryan, Dialects, Poetry | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 26 July 2023.

[16] Jain, Danesh; Cardona, George (26 July 2007). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge. p. 895. ISBN 978-1-135-79710-2.

[17] "Parliament passes Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020". The Hindu. 23 September 2020.

[Bukhari-18] Bukhari, Shujaat (14 June 2011). "The other Kashmir". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 October 2020.

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Kashmiri
کٲشُر कॉशुर 𑆑𑆳𑆯𑆶𑆫𑇀
The word "Koshur" in Perso-Arabic script (contemporary, official status), Sharada script (ancient, liturgical) and Devanagari
Native to	India and Pakistan
Region	Kashmir (Kashmir Valley and surrounding areas of Jammu and Kashmir,^[1] parts of northern Azad Kashmir)
Ethnicity	Kashmiris
Native speakers	7.1 million (2011)^[1]
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Indo-Aryan Dardic Kashmiri
Dialects	Kishtwari, Poguli^[2]^[3]
Writing system	Official: Perso-Arabic script (contemporary)^[4] Others: Devanagari^[4] (informally used by some sections within the Kashmiri Pandit community after 1990),^[5]^[6]^[7] Sharada script (ancient/liturgical)^[4]
Official status
Official language in	India Jammu and Kashmir^[8]^[9]
Language codes
ISO 639-1	`ks`
ISO 639-2	`kas`
ISO 639-3	`kas`
Glottolog	`kash1277`
Kashmiri is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger ^[10]^[11]^[12]
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.