🇮🇷 Azerbaijani (South) #68 Most Spoken Language (25M speakers)

Primarily in northwestern Iran, especially in and around Tabriz, Urmia, Ardabil, and Zanjan.
It is also spoken in many Iranian cities through internal migration, with active diaspora use in several countries.

Common estimates place native speakers in Iran at about 15–20 million.
Many speakers also use Persian in daily life, so bilingualism is widespread.

Turkic → Common Turkic → Oghuz → Azerbaijani → South Azerbaijani

South and North Azerbaijani are very close. Speakers often understand each other well, especially in everyday topics.
Differences are most noticeable in pronunciation, some vocabulary, and common loanwords.

In Iran, South Azerbaijani is most often written in a Perso-Arabic script adapted for Turkic sounds.
In digital spaces, many writers also use Latin-based spelling, often influenced by the Latin alphabet used in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Default order is SOV (Subject–Object–Verb).
Modifiers usually come before what they describe, and postpositions are common.

A clear vowel system with nine vowels and strong vowel harmony.
Stress often falls toward the end of the word, though suffixes can shift rhythm in natural speech.

ISO 639-3: azb • Glottocode: sout2697

In daily conversation, many speakers refer to the language as Türki (meaning “Turkic/Turkish” in a broad sense),
while “South Azerbaijani” is widely used in linguistic descriptions.

South Azerbaijani shares a core Turkic vocabulary, and it also includes many borrowed words through long contact with nearby languages.
Speakers often shift style depending on setting, especially in formal speech.

UNESCO lists South Azerbaijani as potentially vulnerable.
In practice, it remains strong in many homes and communities, and it continues to be a key language of daily life.

Bilingual use is common. Many speakers use South Azerbaijani at home and in community life, and another language in wider public settings.
This often leads to natural code-switching without changing identity or meaning.

A helpful way to see the vowel set (Latin-based symbols):

The vowel ə is especially common and often stands out to learners.

Many suffixes change their vowel to match the last vowel of the word.
This helps speech flow and keeps word forms predictable.
Example idea: plural is often -lar or -lər, chosen by harmony.

The Perso-Arabic script is widely used in Iran. It is an abjad-style script, so short vowels may be less visible in everyday spelling.
Many writers add clarity by relying on context, familiar word shapes, or optional marks in learning materials.
Latin-based writing is common online for speed and keyboard convenience.

Script	Typical Use	What To Know
Perso-Arabic	Most common in Iran	Short vowels may be implied; conventions can vary by publisher.
Latin-based	Online writing and cross-border media	Often uses letters like Ə, Ö, Ü, Ş, Ç, Ğ, X, Q for clear sound mapping.

A common backbone is:

Example (Latin-based spelling): Mən kitabı oxuyuram.

Some high-frequency suffix types:

• Plural: -lar / -lər
• Definite Object (Accusative): -ı/-i/-u/-ü (often with -n- after vowels)
• To (Dative): -a / -ə (often with -y- after vowels)
• In/At (Locative): -da / -də (often with -t- after voiceless consonants)
• From (Ablative): -dan / -dən (often with -t- after voiceless consonants)

A common yes/no particle is -mı / -mi / -mu / -mü, chosen by vowel harmony.
In natural speech, intonation also plays a big role, especially in casual questions.

Person	Pronoun
I	mən
you (sing.)	sən
he/she/it	o
we	biz
you (pl.)	siz
they	onlar

Many descriptions group local speech by major urban and regional centers.
Names often heard include Tabriz, Urmia, and Ardabil.
Local pronunciation and everyday words can vary, while core grammar stays very similar.

Online writing often mixes conventions.
Some writers prefer Perso-Arabic spelling, others prefer Latin-based spelling, and some mix both depending on device and audience.

bir
iki
üç
dörd
beş
altı
yeddi
səkkiz
doqquz
on

A very common greeting in Perso-Arabic writing is: