The Aimaq Alphabet

Q: How many letters does the Aimaq alphabet have?

The Aimaq alphabet has 32 letters , all derived from the Perso-Arabic script . This is the same as the standard Dari/Afghan Persian alphabet. The 32 letters include the 28 Arabic letters plus 4 letters unique to Persian and Dari: پ (pe, /p/), چ (che, /tʃ/), ژ (zhe, /ʒ/), and گ (gaf, /g/). Short vowels are generally not written but can be indicated with optional diacritical marks called harakat.

Q: Is Aimaq the same as Dari or Persian?

Aimaq is a cluster of Eastern Persian dialects closely related to Dari (the Afghan variety of Persian), with which it shares mutual intelligibility. It is not a separate language in the strict genetic sense but a geographically and socially distinct dialect group. Key differences from standard Dari and Western Persian include: Aimaq preserves the classical bilabial /w/ pronunciation of the letter و, maintains the majhul vowel distinction (ē/ī and ō/ū pairs that have merged in Western Persian), and contains a significant layer of Turkic loanwords reflecting historical contact with Turco-Mongol groups.

Q: Where is Aimaq spoken?

Aimaq is spoken primarily in the western and central highlands of Afghanistan , across the provinces of Ghor, Badghis, Herat, Farah, and Faryab . Smaller communities exist in eastern Iran, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan . The total speaker population is estimated at approximately 1.5–2.4 million , with the majority in Afghanistan. The traditional Aimaq heartland stretches from the central hills of Badghis northeast of Herat into the mountains of Ghor province.

Q: Who are the Aimaq people?

The Aimaq (also spelled Aymaq, or Chahar Aimaq meaning "Four Tribes") are a confederation of largely semi-nomadic or transhumant people of mixed Turco-Mongolian and Iranian heritage. The four main groups are the Taimani, Firozkohi, Jamshidi, and Timuri , along with several smaller clans. While ethnically diverse, the Aimaq groups share the use of Eastern Persian (Dari) dialects , Sunni Islam , and a traditional economy based on sheep herding and agriculture. Their material culture and oral literature reflect a synthesis of Persian, Turkic, and Mongol traditions.

Q: Is the Aimaq script read from right to left?

Yes. Like all Perso-Arabic scripts , Aimaq is written and read from right to left . Each letter in the alphabet connects to adjacent letters within a word (cursive), and most letters change shape depending on their position — initial, medial, final, or isolated form. The only exception to the right-to-left direction is numerals , which are written left to right even within otherwise RTL text. The script belongs to the Arabic Unicode Block (U+0600–U+06FF).

Aimaq Alphabet at a Glance

32 letters written right to left using the Perso-Arabic script
Aimaq (Chahar Aimaq) is an Eastern Persian dialect cluster spoken in western Afghanistan ^[1]
Uses the Perso-Arabic script in both Naskh and Nastaliq calligraphic styles ^[2]
Spoken by approximately 1.5–2.4 million people across Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan ^[3]
Aimaq preserves the classical bilabial pronunciation of و (waw), a feature lost in modern Western Persian ^[4]
Includes 4 letters unique to Persian: پ, چ, ژ, and گ, which are not found in the Arabic alphabet
6 vowel diacritics (harakat): fatha, kasra, damma, shadda, sukun, and tanwin fath

Aimaq Consonants

[AH-lef]

[BEH]

[PEH]

[TEH]

[SEH]

[JEEM]

[CHEH]

[HEH-JEE-mee]

[KHEH]

[DAHL]

[ZAHL]

[REH]

[ZEH]

[ZHEH]

[SEEN]

[SHEEN]

[SAWD]

[DAWD]

[TAW]

[ZAW]

[AYN]

[GHAYN]

[FEH]

[QAHF]

[KAHF]

[GAHF]

[LAHM]

[MEEM]

[NOON]

[VAWV]

[HEH]

[YEH]

[AH-lef]

The first letter of the Perso-Arabic alphabet; represents a glottal stop /ʔ/ in initial position or serves as a seat for long vowel /aː/. In Aimaq, as in Dari, alef functions primarily as a vowel carrier and is one of the non-connecting letters of the script.

[BEH]

Voiced bilabial stop /b/, like "b" in "bed". One of the base letters of the Perso-Arabic abjad; in Aimaq/Dari the /b/ sound is identical in articulation to its Arabic counterpart and is well-preserved across all Aimaq dialect groups.

[PEH]

Voiceless bilabial stop /p/, like "p" in "pen". One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script not found in classical Arabic; پ was added to represent the /p/ sound absent from Arabic phonology. Essential for Aimaq vocabulary of Iranian origin.

[TEH]

Voiceless alveolar stop /t/, like "t" in "top". Distinguished from the emphatic ط by its non-pharyngealised articulation; in Aimaq/Dari both ت and ط are pronounced as plain /t/ in everyday speech, with the distinction preserved only in formal contexts.

[SEH]

Pronounced as /s/ in Dari and Aimaq, identical to س. In Classical Arabic ث represents the voiceless dental fricative /θ/ (like "th" in "thin"), but Aimaq/Dari has merged this sound with /s/, reflecting the general Iranian pronunciation of Arabic loanwords.

[JEEM]

Voiced postalveolar affricate /dʒ/, like "j" in "jam". Consistent across Aimaq dialects and Dari; represents a sound well-integrated into the Aimaq phonological system, common in both native Iranian vocabulary and Arabic loanwords.

[CHEH]

Voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/, like "ch" in "chair". One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script; چ was added to represent the /tʃ/ sound common in Iranian languages but absent from Arabic. Widely used in native Aimaq vocabulary.

[HEH-JEE-mee]

Voiceless pharyngeal fricative /ħ/ in Classical Arabic; in Aimaq/Dari this letter is typically pronounced as the plain glottal fricative /h/, merging with ه in everyday speech. The pharyngeal quality is preserved only in formal recitation or heavily Arabic-influenced registers.

[KHEH]

Voiceless velar fricative /x/, like "ch" in Scottish "loch" or German "Bach". This sound is fully preserved in Aimaq as in all Dari/Persian varieties; خ appears frequently in both Persian/Iranian vocabulary and Arabic loanwords across the Aimaq dialect area.

[DAHL]

Voiced alveolar stop /d/, like "d" in "dog". A non-connecting letter in the Perso-Arabic script that does not join to the following letter in a word. Fully preserved in Aimaq phonology with the same articulation as in standard Dari.

[ZAHL]

Pronounced as /z/ in Aimaq/Dari, merging with ز. In Classical Arabic ذ represents the voiced dental fricative /ð/ (like "th" in "that"), but Iranian languages including Aimaq have consistently rendered this Arabic sound as the alveolar fricative /z/.

[REH]

Alveolar trill or tap /r/, like a rolled "r". A non-connecting letter; in Aimaq the rhotic consonant is generally realised as a tap or light trill, consistent with Dari phonology and contrasting with the uvular /ʁ/ found in some Western Iranian dialects.

[ZEH]

Voiced alveolar fricative /z/, like "z" in "zoo". A non-connecting letter; in Aimaq/Dari, the letters ز، ذ، ض، and ظ all converge on the /z/ pronunciation, reflecting the simplification of Arabic emphatic and interdental consonants in the Iranian phonological system.

[ZHEH]

Voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/, like "s" in "measure" or "zh" in "Zhivago". One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script; ژ represents a sound found in Iranian loanwords from French and in native Persian vocabulary. Fully used in Aimaq texts.

[SEEN]

Voiceless alveolar fricative /s/, like "s" in "sun". In Aimaq/Dari, the three Arabic sibilants ث، س، and ص all merge into this single /s/ pronunciation. One of the most frequent consonants in Aimaq vocabulary of both Iranian and Arabic origin.

[SHEEN]

Voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/, like "sh" in "ship". Fully preserved in Aimaq phonology; ش is one of the most distinctive consonants in Aimaq/Dari vocabulary and appears frequently in both native Iranian words and Arabicisms integrated into the dialect.

[SAWD]

Emphatic /sˁ/ in Classical Arabic; in Aimaq/Dari, this letter is pronounced as plain /s/, merging with س. The pharyngeal emphasis of Arabic ص is not maintained in Iranian pronunciation; the letter is retained in writing to preserve the spelling of Arabic loanwords.

[DAWD]

A historically emphatic consonant unique to Arabic; in Aimaq/Dari, ض is pronounced as /z/, merging with ز. Arabic is sometimes called "the language of dad" (لغة الضاد) because this letter's original sound /dˁ/ was unique to Arabic; Aimaq does not preserve the emphatic quality.

[TAW]

Emphatic /tˁ/ in Classical Arabic; in Aimaq/Dari, this letter is pronounced as plain /t/, merging with ت. The letter is retained in the spelling of Arabic loanwords to reflect their Arabic orthographic origin; Aimaq speakers do not distinguish ط from ت in spoken speech.

[ZAW]

Emphatic consonant in Classical Arabic; in Aimaq/Dari, ظ is pronounced as /z/. Like ض، ذ، and ز, this letter converges on the /z/ phoneme in Aimaq/Iranian pronunciation; the letter is preserved in writing Arabic-origin vocabulary to maintain etymological spelling.

[AYN]

Voiced pharyngeal fricative /ʕ/ in Arabic; in Aimaq/Dari, ع is often realised as a glottal stop /ʔ/ or simply as a vowel onset without pharyngeal constriction. Aimaq preserves more of the pharyngeal quality than Western Persian in formal speech registers.

[GHAYN]

Voiced uvular fricative /ɣ/, produced at the back of the throat like a gargled sound; often described as like a French "r". Fully preserved in Aimaq as in all Dari/Persian varieties; غ appears in both Iranian vocabulary and Arabic loanwords and is phonemically distinct from گ.

[FEH]

Voiceless labiodental fricative /f/, like "f" in "fun". Fully preserved in Aimaq; ف appears in native Persian/Iranian vocabulary and in Arabic loanwords. The /f/ sound is common across the Aimaq dialect area and is not subject to the phonological variation seen in some other consonants.

[QAHF]

Voiceless uvular stop /q/ in Classical Arabic; in Aimaq/Dari, ق is typically realised as the uvular stop /q/ or as a glottal stop /ʔ/ depending on regional variety and register. Aimaq dialects may preserve the uvular articulation more consistently than Kabul Dari.

[KAHF]

Voiceless velar stop /k/, like "k" in "key". Distinct from ق (uvular); in Aimaq, ک consistently represents the voiceless velar stop across all dialectal varieties. The Persian/Dari form کاف uses the Perso-Arabic letter shape rather than the classical Arabic form ك.

[GAHF]

Voiced velar stop /g/, like "g" in "go". One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script; گ was added to represent the /g/ sound absent from Arabic phonology. Common in Aimaq vocabulary of both Iranian origin and in Turkic loanwords integrated into the dialect.

[LAHM]

Lateral alveolar approximant /l/, like "l" in "lamp". Fully preserved in Aimaq; ل is one of the most frequent consonants in Aimaq/Dari vocabulary and participates in the special lam-alef ligature (لا) that is one of the obligatory ligatures of the Perso-Arabic script.

[MEEM]

Bilabial nasal /m/, like "m" in "man". A very common consonant in Aimaq vocabulary; م appears frequently in both native Iranian words and Arabic loanwords. The bilabial nasal is phonologically stable across all Aimaq dialect varieties.

[NOON]

Alveolar nasal /n/, like "n" in "noon". One of the most frequent consonants in Aimaq/Dari; ن is also used to write the velar nasal /ŋ/ before velar consonants and appears in the tanwin nunation ending in Arabic loanwords borrowed into Aimaq.

[VAWV]

In Aimaq, و is pronounced as the bilabial approximant /w/, preserving the classical Perso-Arabic pronunciation. This is a phonologically significant feature: Western Persian (Farsi) has shifted this to the labiodental /v/, but Aimaq retains the archaic /w/, reflecting its conservative Eastern Persian phonology.

[HEH]

Voiceless glottal fricative /h/, like "h" in "hat". One of the most variable letters in Persian/Dari orthography; in final position ه can represent /h/, /a/, or /e/ depending on the word. Aimaq preserves the full range of ه functions found in standard Dari orthography.

[YEH]

Palatal approximant /j/ in consonantal position (like "y" in "yes"), or long vowel /iː/ in vocalic position. In Aimaq, ی participates in the majhul vowel distinction — the difference between /ē/ (the former majhul e) and /ī/ (the former khafif i) — a classical Persian contrast better preserved in Aimaq than in Western Farsi.

Aimaq Vowel Diacritics (Harakat)

[FAH-tah]

[KAS-rah]

[DAM-mah]

[SHAD-dah]

[SOO-koon]

[TAN-ween]

[FAH-tah]

Fatha — a small diagonal stroke above a consonant marking the short vowel /a/. In Aimaq/Dari, fatha also serves for the open vowel /æ/ in some contexts. Used in educational texts, children's books, and Quranic materials to aid readers learning to pronounce words correctly.

[KAS-rah]

Kasra — a small diagonal stroke below a consonant marking the short vowel /e/ or /i/. In Aimaq, kasra typically marks the short front vowel /e/ in native vocabulary. Used in educational and religious materials where full vowel marking aids comprehension and correct pronunciation.

[DAM-mah]

Damma — a small hook-shaped mark above a consonant marking the short vowel /o/ or /u/. In Aimaq/Dari, damma typically marks the short back-rounded vowel /o/ or /u/. Used in fully-vocalised texts to distinguish words that would otherwise be ambiguous in consonantal spelling.

[SHAD-dah]

Shadda — a small ش-shaped diacritical mark above a consonant indicating gemination (consonant doubling). When a consonant carries shadda, it is pronounced double or held longer. Common in Arabic loanwords in Aimaq where consonant gemination is phonemically significant and must be marked for correct pronunciation.

[SOO-koon]

Sukun — a small circular mark above a consonant indicating the absence of a following vowel (a bare consonant). Used to show that a consonant is not followed by a short vowel, particularly in fully-vocalised texts, Arabic loanword transcriptions, and educational materials for Aimaq learners.

[TAN-ween]

Tanwin fath — a double fatha mark indicating nunation, the -an ending of indefinite accusative nouns in Arabic grammar. In Aimaq, tanwin appears in Arabic loanwords when used in formal or religious contexts; it is one of three tanwin markers along with tanwin damm (-un) and tanwin kasr (-in).

First letter — alef; represents glottal stop /ʔ/ or long vowel /aː/. Non-connecting letter; one of the foundational letters of the Perso-Arabic alphabet.

Second letter — be; voiced bilabial stop /b/. Connecting letter; base form of a family of letters distinguished by dots (ب پ ت ث).

Third letter — pe; voiceless bilabial stop /p/. One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script; not found in the classical Arabic alphabet.

Fourth letter — te; voiceless alveolar stop /t/. Shares the same base shape as ب and پ, distinguished by two dots above.

Fifth letter — se; pronounced /s/ in Aimaq/Dari, merging with س. The Arabic value /θ/ is not maintained in Aimaq pronunciation.

Sixth letter — jim; voiced postalveolar affricate /dʒ/. Part of a letter family (ج چ ح خ) sharing the same basic shape distinguished by dots and diacritics.

Seventh letter — che; voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/. One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script; not found in the classical Arabic alphabet.

Eighth letter — he-jimi; pronounced /h/ in Aimaq/Dari. The pharyngeal quality of Arabic /ħ/ is generally not preserved in Aimaq spoken phonology.

Ninth letter — khe; voiceless velar fricative /x/. Fully preserved in Aimaq; a phonemically distinct sound from /k/ and /h/ in all Aimaq dialect varieties.

Tenth letter — dal; voiced alveolar stop /d/. Non-connecting letter; shares its basic shape with ذ, distinguished by the absence of a dot.

Eleventh letter — zal; pronounced /z/ in Aimaq/Dari. Non-connecting letter; the Arabic voiced dental fricative /ð/ has merged with /z/ in Iranian pronunciation.

Twelfth letter — re; alveolar tap or trill /r/. Non-connecting letter; one of the most frequent consonants in Aimaq/Dari vocabulary of both Iranian and Arabic origin.

Thirteenth letter — ze; voiced alveolar fricative /z/. Non-connecting letter; shares its shape with ر but carries a dot above. In Aimaq, ز، ذ، ض، ظ all represent /z/.

Fourteenth letter — zhe; voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/. One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script; not found in classical Arabic; non-connecting letter.

Fifteenth letter — sin; voiceless alveolar fricative /s/. One of the most common consonants in Aimaq; in Aimaq/Dari, ث، س، and ص all represent /s/.

Sixteenth letter — shin; voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/. Shares its base shape with س, distinguished by three dots above; fully preserved in Aimaq phonology.

Seventeenth letter — sad; pronounced /s/ in Aimaq/Dari. The emphatic /sˁ/ of Classical Arabic is not maintained; letter retained for spelling Arabic loanwords correctly.

Eighteenth letter — dad; pronounced /z/ in Aimaq/Dari. The historically emphatic Arabic /dˁ/ has merged with /z/ in Aimaq/Iranian pronunciation; retained for spelling Arabic loanwords.

Nineteenth letter — ta; pronounced /t/ in Aimaq/Dari. The emphatic /tˁ/ of Classical Arabic merges with plain /t/ in Aimaq; retained in writing to preserve Arabic etymological spelling.

Twentieth letter — za; pronounced /z/ in Aimaq/Dari. Like ذ، ز، and ض, this letter represents /z/ in Aimaq pronunciation; the emphatic quality is not maintained.

Twenty-first letter — ayn; voiced pharyngeal fricative /ʕ/ in Arabic; in Aimaq often realised as glottal stop /ʔ/ or simple vowel onset; more pharyngeal quality preserved in formal Aimaq speech.

Twenty-second letter — ghayn; voiced uvular fricative /ɣ/. Fully preserved in Aimaq; phonemically distinct from /g/ (گ) and critical for correct pronunciation of both Persian and Arabic vocabulary in Aimaq texts.

Twenty-third letter — fe; voiceless labiodental fricative /f/. Fully preserved in Aimaq; phonologically stable across all Aimaq dialect varieties and common in both Iranian and Arabic loanwords.

Twenty-fourth letter — qaf; uvular stop /q/ or glottal stop /ʔ/ in Aimaq/Dari depending on dialect and register. Aimaq may preserve the uvular /q/ more consistently than some urban Dari varieties.

Twenty-fifth letter — kaf; voiceless velar stop /k/. Distinct from ق (uvular); consistently represents /k/ across all Aimaq dialect varieties. Uses the Persian/Dari letter shape کاف rather than the Arabic form ك.

Twenty-sixth letter — gaf; voiced velar stop /g/. One of the four letters unique to the Persian/Dari script; not found in classical Arabic. Common in Aimaq vocabulary including Turkic loanwords.

Twenty-seventh letter — lam; lateral alveolar approximant /l/. One of the most frequent consonants in Aimaq/Dari; participates in the obligatory lam-alef ligature لا in Perso-Arabic script.

Twenty-eighth letter — mim; bilabial nasal /m/. Very common in Aimaq vocabulary; phonologically stable across all Aimaq dialect varieties and found in high-frequency Iranian and Arabic vocabulary items.

Twenty-ninth letter — nun; alveolar nasal /n/. One of the most frequent consonants in Aimaq/Dari; also used to write the velar nasal /ŋ/ before velar consonants in spoken Aimaq.

Thirtieth letter — vav; pronounced as bilabial /w/ in Aimaq, preserving the classical pronunciation. This distinguishes Aimaq from Western Persian (Farsi) which uses labiodental /v/; also serves as the long vowel /uː/ and the diphthong /ow/. Non-connecting letter.

Thirty-first letter — he; voiceless glottal fricative /h/. Multi-functional in Dari/Aimaq: represents /h/ in initial and medial positions; in final position can represent /h/, /a/, or /e/ depending on the word.

Thirty-second letter — ye; palatal approximant /j/ in consonantal use or long vowel /iː/ in vocalic use. In Aimaq, ی participates in the preserved majhul vowel distinction; also written ے in certain final positions in some regional Dari conventions.

Eastern Arabic Digits (۰–۹)

[SI-fer]

[YAK]

[DOH]

[SEH]

[CHAR]

[PANJ]

[SHESH]

[HAFT]

[HASHT]

[NOH]

[SI-fer]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit zero (۰), corresponding to Western 0. The Dari/Aimaq name is صفر (sifr), the origin of the English word "cipher" and "zero" via medieval Arabic mathematical transmission. Written left to right within otherwise RTL Aimaq text.

[YAK]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit one (۱), corresponding to Western 1. The Dari/Aimaq name is یک (yak), cognate with Sanskrit eka, Avestan aēva, and English "one" through the Indo-European family. The Aimaq dialect may use the variant اِک (ik) in informal counting.

[DOH]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit two (۲), corresponding to Western 2. The Dari/Aimaq name is دو (do), cognate with Sanskrit dvi, Latin duo, and English "two". This shared Indo-European numeral root is one of the clearest markers of Aimaq's Iranian branch membership.

[SEH]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit three (۳), corresponding to Western 3. The Dari/Aimaq name is سه (se), cognate with Sanskrit tri, Latin tres, and English "three". The Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral ۳ has a shape historically derived from the Arabic letter ث rotated.

[CHAR]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit four (۴), corresponding to Western 4. The Dari/Aimaq name is چهار (char), cognate with Sanskrit catur and Latin quattuor. The word char is one of the roots in Chahar Aimaq — چهار ایماق — literally meaning "Four Tribes" or "Four Peoples".

[PANJ]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit five (۵), corresponding to Western 5. The Dari/Aimaq name is پنج (panj), cognate with Sanskrit panca, Greek pente, and Latin quinque. The word "punch" (the drink originally made with five ingredients) derives from this same Indo-European root via Hindustani.

[SHESH]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit six (۶), corresponding to Western 6. The Dari/Aimaq name is شش (shesh), cognate with Sanskrit shash, Greek hex, and Latin sex. The Eastern Arabic-Indic digit ۶ has a distinctive shape different from both the Western Arabic numeral 6 and the Arabic-Indic form ٦.

[HAFT]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit seven (۷), corresponding to Western 7. The Dari/Aimaq name is هفت (haft), cognate with Sanskrit sapta, Greek hepta, and Latin septem. The Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral ۷ resembles a reversed Western 7 and is one of the most recognisably distinct Persian/Dari numerals.

[HASHT]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit eight (۸), corresponding to Western 8. The Dari/Aimaq name is هشت (hasht), cognate with Sanskrit ashta, Greek okto, and Latin octo. The Eastern Arabic-Indic form ۸ is visually similar to its Western Arabic counterpart, making it one of the easier digits for cross-system recognition.

[NOH]

Eastern Arabic-Indic digit nine (۹), corresponding to Western 9. The Dari/Aimaq name is نه (noh), cognate with Sanskrit nava, Latin novem, and English "nine". The Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral ۹ is visually distinctive from Western 9 and is one of the key differences between Persian/Dari and Western numeral systems.

‌

Arabic comma — the standard comma in Dari/Aimaq texts, mirrored horizontally from the Western comma to suit right-to-left reading. Used to separate clauses, list items, and coordinate phrases in Aimaq written texts and modern Afghan publishing.

Arabic question mark — the standard interrogative marker in Dari/Aimaq texts, reflected horizontally from the Western question mark. Placed at the end of a question sentence (which, in RTL text, appears on the right side of the line, not the left).

Arabic semicolon — used in Dari/Aimaq texts to separate independent clauses more strongly than a comma. The Arabic semicolon ؛ is the mirrored form of the Western semicolon and is used in formal Aimaq writing and academic publications.

Left guillemet — used as an opening quotation mark in Dari/Aimaq texts following French-influenced Persian publishing conventions. In RTL text, « appears at the end of the quoted text (visually on the right), while » appears at the start (visually on the left).

Right guillemet — used as a closing quotation mark in Dari/Aimaq texts. In Persian/Dari typographic convention, » opens the quotation (appearing at the right/start of the RTL text) and « closes it, the reverse of Western usage, though practice varies across Afghan publishers.

Arabic percent sign — used in Dari/Aimaq texts for percentages, following the Arabic-script convention. Often used interchangeably with the Western % sign in modern Afghan texts; appears in statistics, financial documents, and contemporary Aimaq-language publications.

Arabic decimal separator — used between the whole and fractional parts of numbers in Dari/Aimaq texts, equivalent to the Western decimal point. Appears in numerical contexts where Eastern Arabic-Indic numerals (۰–۹) are used in Aimaq financial and technical writing.

Arabic full stop — used to terminate sentences in Dari/Aimaq texts. Though Western-style full stops (.) are also used in modern Afghan publishing, the Arabic full stop ۔ follows the traditional Perso-Arabic typographic standard for sentence termination in formal Aimaq writing.

‌

Zero-width non-joiner (ZWNJ) — an invisible Unicode character (U+200C) used in Perso-Arabic texts to prevent two letters from joining in a word where they would normally connect. Essential in Dari/Aimaq digital typography for writing certain compound words and suffixes where letter-joining would be visually incorrect.

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How many letters does the Aimaq alphabet have?

Is Aimaq the same as Dari or Persian?

Where is Aimaq spoken?

Who are the Aimaq people?

Is the Aimaq script read from right to left?

References:

[1] Glottolog 5.x. "Aimaq [aima1241]". Retrieved from Glottolog: Aimaq
[2] Unicode Consortium. "Arabic Unicode Block (U+0600-U+06FF)". Retrieved from Unicode Arabic Block
[3] SIL International. "ISO 639-3 Language Code: aiq — Aimaq". Retrieved from SIL ISO 639-3: aiq
[4] Encyclopaedia Iranica (Columbia University). "AYMĀQ". Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Iranica: Aymāq