The Semnani Alphabet

Q: How many letters does the Semnani alphabet have?

The Semnani alphabet has 32 letters , all derived from the Perso-Arabic script . 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, /ɡ/). Short vowels are generally not written but can be indicated with optional diacritical marks called harakat in educational texts.

Q: Where is Semnani spoken?

Semnani is spoken in Semnan city and surrounding towns and villages of Semnan Province , located in northern Iran along the southern foothills of the Alborz mountain range. With an estimated 20,000–80,000 speakers , Semnani is the most widely spoken member of the "Semnani languages" cluster. The group also includes closely related languages such as Lasgerdi, Sangisari, Shahmirzadi, and Sorkhei, spoken in nearby towns and villages within the same province.

Q: Is Semnani a dialect of Persian?

No. Semnani is a distinct language , not a dialect of Persian (Farsi). While it uses the same Perso-Arabic writing system and has absorbed many Persian loanwords due to centuries of contact, Semnani belongs to a different branch of the Iranian language family. Persian belongs to Southwest Iranian , while Semnani belongs to the Central Iranian subgroup of Northwest Iranian . Semnani has its own distinct phonological system, grammatical structures, and core vocabulary that cannot be derived from Persian.

Q: What branch of Iranian languages does Semnani belong to?

Semnani belongs to the Central Iranian group of the Northwest Iranian branch of the Iranian language family. Within this group, Semnani forms a cluster with closely related languages — Lasgerdi, Sangisari, Shahmirzadi, and Sorkhei — sometimes collectively called the "Semnani languages". This places Semnani in the same broad grouping as Mazandarani, Gilaki, and Kurdish, rather than with Persian, Dari, or Tajik (Southwest Iranian).

Q: Is Semnani an endangered language?

Semnani is classified as vulnerable by language endangerment researchers. The language faces significant pressure from standard Persian (Farsi), which dominates education, media, government, and urban life in Semnan Province. Younger speakers in Semnan city increasingly use Persian as their primary language, while Semnani is maintained mainly in older generations and in rural communities. The Endangered Languages Project lists Semnani and its relatives among the languages requiring documentation and preservation efforts.

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

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

Semnani Alphabet at a Glance

32 letters written right to left using the Perso-Arabic script, an abjad where short vowels are not written in everyday text
Semnani is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken in Semnan city and surrounding areas of Semnan Province, northern Iran, with an estimated 20,000–80,000 speakers ^[1]
Uses the Perso-Arabic script, following the Persian writing tradition but representing distinct Northwestern Iranian phonological features ^[2]
Semnani belongs to the Central Iranian subgroup of Northwest Iranian — closely related to Mazandarani, Gilaki, and other languages of northern Iran rather than to Persian (Farsi) ^[3]
Belongs to the Central Iranian branch within Northwest Iranian — its closest relatives are Lasgerdi, Sangisari, Shahmirzadi, and Sorkhei — a cluster sometimes called the "Semnani languages" ^[4]
Semnani preserves Northwestern Iranian phonological and grammatical features distinct from Southwest Iranian Persian, including different vowel systems and verbal paradigms ^[5]
Includes 4 letters unique to the Persian script, not found in Arabic: پ (pe), چ (che), ژ (zhe), and گ (gaf); short vowels are indicated by optional diacritical marks (harakat) in educational texts

Semnani Consonant Letters

The Semnani alphabet contains 32 consonant letters based on the Perso-Arabic script. This includes the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet plus 4 letters unique to Persian/Dari: پ (pe /p/), چ (che /tʃ/), ژ (zhe /ʒ/), and گ (gaf /ɡ/). Each letter changes shape depending on its position within a word — initial, medial, final, or isolated. Semnani uses this script to write a Northwestern Iranian language of Semnan Province, northern Iran, with its own distinct phonology and grammar not found in standard Persian.

Semnani Consonants

[BEH]

[PEH]

[TEH]

[SEH]

[JIM]

[CHEH]

[HEH]

[KHEH]

[DAL]

[ZAL]

[REH]

[ZEH]

[ZHEH]

[SIN]

[SHIN]

[SAD]

[ZAD]

[TAH]

[ZAH]

[AIN]

[GHAIN]

[FEH]

[QAHF]

[KAF]

[GAF]

[LAM]

[MIM]

[NUN]

[VAV]

[HEH]

[YEH]

[HAMZA]

[BEH]

Voiced bilabial stop /b/, like "b" in "bed". Common in Semnani native vocabulary inherited from Northwestern Iranian roots distinct from Southwest Iranian Persian.

[PEH]

Voiceless bilabial stop /p/, like "p" in "pen". One of the four letters unique to the Persian script. Present in native Semnani Northwestern Iranian vocabulary.

[TEH]

Voiceless dental stop /t/. Common in Semnani nominal and verbal morphology, reflecting its position as a Northwestern Iranian language within the Central Iranian subgroup.

[SEH]

Pronounced as /s/ in Semnani, identical to س. Retained in spelling of Arabic loanwords absorbed through Persian contact. Not phonemically distinct from س in Semnani speech.

[JIM]

Voiced postalveolar affricate /dʒ/, like "j" in "jump". Common in Semnani native vocabulary. An active consonant in the Northwestern Iranian phonological system.

[CHEH]

Voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/, like "ch" in "church". One of the four letters unique to the Persian script. Prevalent in native Semnani vocabulary.

[HEH]

Historically a pharyngeal fricative /ħ/ in Arabic; in Semnani realised as /h/. Found primarily in Arabic loanwords absorbed via Persian contact in Semnan Province.

[KHEH]

Voiceless velar fricative /x/, like "ch" in Scottish "loch". A characteristic Iranian sound common in Semnani native words and loanwords.

[DAL]

Voiced dental/alveolar stop /d/. One of the most frequent consonants in Semnani. Semnani preserves distinct /d/ sounds in positions where Persian has undergone historical changes.

[ZAL]

Historically Arabic /ð/; in Semnani merges with /z/. Appears in Arabic loanwords absorbed via Persian. Not phonemically distinct from ز in spoken Semnani.

[REH]

Voiced alveolar trill or tap /r/. Fundamental to Semnani phonology. Appears across native Northwestern Iranian vocabulary.

[ZEH]

Voiced alveolar fricative /z/, like "z" in "zebra". Primary /z/ letter in Semnani, merging with ذ, ض, ظ in speech.

[ZHEH]

Voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/, like "s" in "measure". One of the four letters unique to the Persian script. Found in Semnani vocabulary and loanwords.

[SIN]

Voiceless alveolar fricative /s/, like "s" in "sun". Primary /s/ letter in Semnani, merging with ث and ص in speech.

[SHIN]

Voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/, like "sh" in "ship". Common in native Semnani vocabulary, connecting it to the broader Northwestern Iranian tradition.

[SAD]

Arabic emphatic /sˤ/; in Semnani merges with plain /s/. Used in Arabic loanwords absorbed via Persian contact.

[ZAD]

Arabic emphatic /dˤ/; in Semnani realised as /z/. Appears in Arabic loanwords. Phonemically identical to ز in spoken Semnani.

[TAH]

Arabic emphatic /tˤ/; in Semnani merges with plain /t/. Found in Arabic loanwords absorbed via Persian.

[ZAH]

Arabic emphatic /ðˤ/; in Semnani merges with /z/. Appears in formal Arabic loanwords used in literary and religious contexts.

[AIN]

The Arabic pharyngeal fricative /ʕ/; in Semnani realised as a glottal stop or lengthened vowel. Occurs in Arabic loanwords absorbed via Persian.

[GHAIN]

Voiced velar or uvular fricative /ɣ/. Phonemically active in Semnani native vocabulary and loanwords, reflecting the Northwestern Iranian phonological system.

[FEH]

Voiceless labiodental fricative /f/, like "f" in "fan". Appears in Persian and Arabic loanwords in Semnani, and in some native Northwestern Iranian vocabulary.

[QAHF]

Voiceless uvular stop /q/ in formal usage; varies in colloquial Semnani speech. Found in Arabic and Persian loanwords.

[KAF]

Voiceless velar stop /k/, like "k" in "key". One of the most common consonants in Semnani native Northwestern Iranian vocabulary.

[GAF]

Voiced velar stop /ɡ/, like "g" in "go". One of the four letters unique to the Persian script. Common in native Semnani words.

[LAM]

Voiced alveolar lateral approximant /l/. Fundamental to Semnani phonology. Appears across native vocabulary and contributes to the distinct sound of Semnani.

[MIM]

Voiced bilabial nasal /m/, like "m" in "mother". Very frequent in Semnani vocabulary across all word positions. Found in native Iranian words and Persian loanwords.

[NUN]

Voiced alveolar nasal /n/, like "n" in "no". Essential to Semnani morphology, appearing in verb endings and grammatical suffixes characteristic of Northwestern Iranian languages.

[VAV]

Functions as consonant /v/ or /w/ and as long vowels /uː/ or /o/ in Semnani. Semnani preserves archaic Northwestern Iranian vowel qualities in this letter.

[HEH]

Voiceless glottal fricative /h/. Appears word-initially and word-medially in Semnani. Also serves as a word-final vowel marker indicating preceding /a/ or /e/ vowel.

[YEH]

Functions as consonant /j/ and as long vowels /iː/ or /e/ in Semnani. Essential to Semnani morphology, appearing in verb paradigms that preserve Northwestern Iranian grammatical features.

[HAMZA]

Glottal stop marker /ʔ/. Used in Arabic loanwords in Semnani. Native Northwestern Iranian Semnani vocabulary generally does not feature the standalone hamza.

Semnani Vowel Diacritics (Harakat)

Like all Perso-Arabic scripts, Semnani is an abjad — a consonantal alphabet where short vowels are not written by default but indicated by optional diacritical marks (harakat). These six marks are used in educational materials to aid correct pronunciation of Semnani, whose Northwestern Iranian vowel system includes phonemic contrasts inherited from Old Iranian that differ from standard Persian.

Semnani Vowel Diacritics

[FAT-ha]

[KAS-ra]

[DAM-ma]

[SHAD-da]

[tan-WIN]

[SOO-kun]

[FAT-ha]

Short open vowel /a/. In Semnani, the fatha vowel reflects Northwestern Iranian phonology distinct from standard Persian. Written above a consonant in educational texts.

[KAS-ra]

Short front vowel /e/ or /i/. In Semnani placed beneath a consonant. Used in vowelised texts for disambiguation of the Northwestern Iranian vowel system.

[DAM-ma]

Short back rounded vowel /o/ or /u/. Used in vowelised Semnani texts. Semnani preserves Northwestern Iranian vowel contrasts related to those of Mazandarani and Gilaki.

[SHAD-da]

Consonant gemination marker. Written above a consonant to indicate it is doubled. Appears in Arabic loanwords used in Semnani.

[tan-WIN]

Arabic nunation ending /-an/. Preserved in some Arabic adverbs and formal phrases used in Semnani literary and religious contexts.

[SOO-kun]

Marks the absence of a vowel after a consonant. Appears in fully vowelised Semnani texts. Helps represent consonant clusters characteristic of Northwestern Iranian phonology.

First letter. Long vowel carrier and consonant position. The most frequent letter of the Semnani alphabet.

Second letter. Voiced bilabial stop /b/. Fundamental to native Semnani Northwestern Iranian vocabulary.

Third letter — Persian addition absent from Arabic. Voiceless bilabial stop /p/. Common in native Semnani words.

Fourth letter. Voiceless dental stop /t/. Common in Semnani verbal and nominal morphology.

Fifth letter. Historically Arabic /θ/, pronounced /s/ in Semnani. Used in Arabic loanwords.

Sixth letter. Voiced affricate /dʒ/. Common in native and borrowed Semnani vocabulary.

Seventh letter — Persian addition. Voiceless affricate /tʃ/. Prevalent in native Semnani words.

Eighth letter. Arabic pharyngeal realised as /h/ in Semnani. Used in Arabic loanwords.

Ninth letter. Voiceless velar fricative /x/. Very common in Semnani speech.

Tenth letter. Voiced alveolar stop /d/. One of the most frequent consonants in Semnani.

Eleventh letter. Arabic /ð/ merged with /z/ in Semnani. Appears in Arabic loanwords.

Twelfth letter. Alveolar trill or tap /r/. Essential to Semnani phonology.

Thirteenth letter. Primary /z/ in Semnani. Merges with ذ, ض, ظ in speech.

Fourteenth letter — Persian addition. Voiced postalveolar fricative /ʒ/. Found in Semnani vocabulary.

Fifteenth letter. Primary /s/ in Semnani. Merges with ث and ص in speech.

Sixteenth letter. Voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/. Common in Semnani vocabulary.

Seventeenth letter. Arabic emphatic /sˤ/ realised as /s/ in Semnani. Used in Arabic loanwords.

Eighteenth letter. Arabic emphatic merged with /z/ in Semnani. Appears in Arabic loanwords.

Nineteenth letter. Arabic emphatic /tˤ/ merged with /t/ in Semnani. Used in Arabic loanwords.

Twentieth letter. Arabic emphatic merged with /z/ in Semnani.

Twenty-first letter. Arabic pharyngeal realised as glottal stop or vowel onset in Semnani.

Twenty-second letter. Voiced velar/uvular fricative /ɣ/. Phonemically active in Semnani.

Twenty-third letter. Voiceless labiodental fricative /f/. Common in loanwords.

Twenty-fourth letter. Uvular stop /q/; varies in Semnani colloquial speech. Used in loanwords.

Twenty-fifth letter. Voiceless velar stop /k/. Very common in Semnani native vocabulary.

Twenty-sixth letter — Persian addition. Voiced velar stop /ɡ/. Common in native Semnani words.

Twenty-seventh letter. Alveolar lateral /l/. Fundamental to Semnani phonology and vocabulary.

Twenty-eighth letter. Bilabial nasal /m/. Very frequent across all word positions in Semnani.

Twenty-ninth letter. Alveolar nasal /n/. Essential to Semnani morphology and verb endings.

Thirtieth letter. Consonant /v//w/ and long vowels /uː//o/. Important in Semnani morphology.

Thirty-first letter. Glottal fricative /h/ or silent word-final vowel marker.

Thirty-second letter. Consonant /j/ and long vowels /iː//e/. Essential to Semnani morphology.

Semnani Digits

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for zero. Used in Semnani-language materials following the Persian numeral tradition.

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for one. In Semnani: a form related to the Iranian yak, cognate with Persian یک but with Northwestern Iranian phonological features.

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for two. Semnani form reflects the Northwestern Iranian du, cognate with Persian دو.

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for three. Semnani form continues the Iranian se, cognate with Persian سه and Avestan θri.

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for four. Semnani follows the Iranian čahar pattern, shared with Persian.

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for five. Semnani panj continues the ancient Iranian root, cognate with Persian panj and Sanskrit pañca.

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for six. Semnani šeš continues the Iranian form shared with Persian.

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for seven. Semnani haft is the classic Iranian form, cognate with Persian haft and Avestan hapta.

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for eight. Semnani hašt continues the ancient Iranian root, cognate with Persian هشت.

Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral for nine. Semnani noh follows the Northwestern Iranian form, cognate with Avestan nava.

…

The RTL comma used in Semnani and Persian texts. Placed after clauses and list items, mirrored for right-to-left script.

RTL semicolon used in Semnani and Persian writing. Separates related independent clauses in formal written Semnani.

RTL question mark used in Semnani texts. Mirrors the Latin question mark for right-to-left writing direction.

Opening quotation mark in Semnani and Persian typography. Used as the opening quotation in formal written Semnani.

Closing quotation mark in Semnani and Persian typography. Paired with « for quotations in Semnani written texts.

…

Ellipsis mark used in modern Semnani prose and digital writing to indicate an omission or trailing thought.

The Arabic-script percent sign used in Semnani-language texts.

Kashida or tatweel — a horizontal stroke used to extend a letter for typographic alignment in Semnani calligraphy and formal print.

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters does the Semnani alphabet have?

Where is Semnani spoken?

Is Semnani a dialect of Persian?

What branch of Iranian languages does Semnani belong to?

Is Semnani an endangered language?

Is the Semnani script read from right to left?

References:

[1] Glottolog 5.1. "Semnani [semn1238]". Retrieved from Glottolog: Semnani
[2] Unicode Consortium. "Arabic Unicode Block (U+0600-U+06FF)". Retrieved from Unicode Arabic Block
[3] SIL International. "ISO 639-3 Language Code: sgr — Semnani". Retrieved from SIL ISO 639-3: sgr
[4] Encyclopaedia Iranica (Columbia University). "SEMNĀNI LANGUAGE". Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Iranica: Semnani Language
[5] Endangered Languages Project. "Semnani". Retrieved from Endangered Languages Project: Semnani