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What is the Saraiki Language?<\/h2>\n

Saraiki is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in South Punjab, Pakistan, by tens of millions of people<\/strong> — the 2023 census counted roughly 12% of Pakistan’s population as native Saraiki speakers, making it one of the country’s major languages. Written in a Perso-Arabic script with special letters of its own, the Saraiki language is famous for its soft, melodic sound, its rare implosive consonants, and a literary tradition crowned by the Sufi poetry of Khwaja Ghulam Farid.<\/p>\n

Speakers call their homeland the Saraiki Wasaib<\/em> — the belt of districts along the Indus River that includes \u0645\u0644\u062a\u0627\u0646<\/a>, \u0628\u06c1\u0627\u0648\u0644\u067e\u0648\u0631<\/a>, \u0688\u06cc\u0631\u06c1 \u063a\u0627\u0632\u06cc \u062e\u0627\u0646<\/a> \u062a\u06d2 \u0631\u062d\u06cc\u0645 \u06cc\u0627\u0631 \u062e\u0627\u0646<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Where is Saraiki Spoken?<\/h2>\n

The heart of the Saraiki-speaking world is South Punjab, but the language spills naturally across provincial borders: into Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the northern districts of Sindh, and parts of eastern Balochistan. Large Saraiki-speaking communities also live in Karachi, Lahore and the Gulf countries, and a worldwide diaspora keeps the language alive from the UK to North America. In India, closely related varieties are spoken by communities whose families migrated at Partition in 1947.<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/p>\n

History and Classification<\/h2>\n

Saraiki belongs to the Indo-Aryan family, descended from the ancient speech of the Indus Valley region. Linguists have traditionally grouped it with the north-western (Lahnda) varieties, sharing features with both Punjabi to the east and Sindhi<\/a> to the south — a reflection of its position along the middle Indus.<\/p>\n

For centuries the language was known by regional names: Multani around Multan, Riasti in the princely state of Bahawalpur, Derawali in the western districts. In the 1960s, writers and scholars united these varieties under the single name \u0633\u0631\u0627\u0626\u06cc\u06a9\u06cc<\/em>, launched a standardisation movement, and won the language its own category in Pakistan’s national census from 1981 onward. That recognition transformed Saraiki from a cluster of local dialects into one of Pakistan’s acknowledged major languages.<\/p>\n

Dialects of Saraiki<\/h2>\n

Saraiki speech varies gently across its territory, and its main dialects still carry the old regional names. Multani<\/strong>, spoken around Multan, Muzaffargarh and Khanewal, is the central variety on which the literary standard is largely based. Riasti<\/strong> (or Bahawalpuri) is spoken in the former Bahawalpur State and the Cholistan fringe. Derawali<\/strong> covers the trans-Indus districts of Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan, while Thalochi<\/strong> is the speech of the Thal desert districts such as Layyah and Bhakkar. The dialects are fully mutually intelligible — a listener from Multan understands a speaker from the Thal without difficulty.<\/p>\n

Script and Alphabet<\/h2>\n

Saraiki is written in a Perso-Arabic script closely related to Urdu’s, usually in the flowing Nastaliq style. What makes the Saraiki alphabet special is a set of extra letters invented for sounds that Urdu and Punjabi do not have — most importantly the four implosive consonants<\/strong>, written \u067b \u0684 \u0719 \u06b3<\/strong>. These “inward-drawn” b, j, d and g sounds, shared with Sindhi, give Saraiki its unmistakable depth and are the first thing learners notice about the language. Saraiki also has a full series of nasalised vowels, adding to the softness that earns it the nickname “the sweet language.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Saraiki Literature and Poetry<\/h2>\n

The glory of Saraiki literature is the kafi<\/em> — the short, singable Sufi lyric perfected by Khwaja Ghulam Farid<\/strong> (1845–1901) of Kot Mithan, whose Diwan-e-Farid<\/em> remains the most beloved book in the language. His verses of divine love, desert landscapes and human longing are sung to this day at shrines and festivals across the region. Around the written tradition flows an immense oral one: dohray (couplets), folk tales, riddles, wedding songs and lullabies passed from generation to generation. In our own time, poets such as Shakir Shujabadi<\/strong> have carried Saraiki poetry to huge popular audiences. Explore more on our Saraiki poetry<\/a> page, and hear the language sung on our \u0644\u0648\u06a9 \u0645\u0648\u0633\u06cc\u0642\u06cc<\/a> \u0635\u0641\u062d\u06d2 \u062a\u06d2 \u06b3\u0648\u0644\u0648\u06d4<\/p>\n

The Saraiki Language Today<\/h2>\n

Saraiki today is a language on the rise. It is taught at university level — Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan and the Islamia University of Bahawalpur both run dedicated Saraiki departments — and it has a growing presence in broadcasting, publishing and social media, where a young generation writes Saraiki in both Perso-Arabic and Roman script. Every 6 March, \u0633\u0631\u0627\u0626\u06cc\u06a9\u06cc \u062b\u0642\u0627\u0641\u062a \u068f\u06cc\u06c1\u0627\u0691 (\u0627\u062c\u0631\u06a9 \u068f\u06cc\u06c1\u0627\u0691)<\/a> celebrates the language and identity, and Saraiki Language Day<\/a> events promote its literature. Campaigns continue for greater official status, mother-tongue schooling and a South Punjab province.<\/p>\n

Saraiki Language at a Glance<\/h2>\n