| Languages of Iraq | |
|---|---|
 Sign nearAraden with text in Neo-Aramaic, Kurdish and Arabic | |
| Official | Arabic andKurdish |
| Vernacular | Mesopotamian Arabic |
| Minority | Persian(Farsi),Turkmen,Northeastern Neo-Aramaic andClassical Syriac,Armenian andDomari |
| Foreign | English |
| Signed | Iraqi Sign Language |
| Keyboard layout | |
There are a number of languages spoken inIraq, but thelingua franca;Mesopotamian Arabic (also known as Iraqi Arabic) is by far the most widely spoken in the country.
The most widely spoken language inIraq is theArabic language (specificallyMesopotamian Arabic); the second most spoken language isKurdish (mainlySorani andKurmanji dialects), followed by theIraqi Turkmen/Turkoman dialect ofTurkish, and manyNortheastern Neo-Aramaic dialects.[1][2]
Standard Arabic is written using theArabic script butMesopotamian Arabic is written with a modified Perso-Arabic script and so isKurdish (seeSorani alphabet). In 1997 theIraqi Turkmen/Turkoman adopted theTurkish alphabet as the formal written language[3][4] and by 2005 the community leaders decided that theTurkish language would replace traditional Turkmeni (which had used the Arabic script) in Iraqi schools.[5] In addition, the Neo-Aramaic languages use theSyriac script.
Other smaller minority languages includeShabaki andArmenian.
Official languages of Iraq are defined by theConstitution of Iraq, that was adopted on September 18, 2005 by theTransitional National Assembly of Iraq.[6] It was confirmed byconstitutional referendum, held on October 15, 2005.[7] Official text of the Constitution was published on December 28, 2005 in theOfficial Gazette of Iraq (No. 4012), inArabic original,[8] and thus came into force. The official translation (inEnglish, for international use) was produced in cooperation between Iraqi state authorities and theUnited Nations' Office for Constitutional Support.[9][10]
According to the Article 4 of the Constitution, Arabic and Kurdish are the official languages of Iraq, while three other languages:Turkish,Neo-Aramaic andArmenian, are recognized asminority languages. In addition, any region or province may declare other languages official if a majority of the population approves in a general referendum.[11] According to the second clause of the same article, a law that formally defines the status of Kurdish as an official language has to be passed, but as of March 2025, no such law has been enacted. The official status of Kurdish in Iraq (excludingKurdistan Region) remains unclear.
The oldest recorded languages of Iraq wereSumerian language andAkkadian language (including ancient Assyrian and Babylonian). Sumerian was displaced by Akkadian by 1700 BCE, and Akkadian was gradually displaced byAramaic, from 1200 BCE to 100 CE. Sumerian and Akkadian (including all ancient Assyrian and Babylonian dialects) were written in thecuneiform script from 3300 BCE onwards. The latest positively identified Akkadian text comes from the first century CE.[12]
The language with the longest recorded period of use in Iraq is Aramaic, which has a written tradition dating back for more than 2000 years, and survives today in its descendants, theNeo-Aramaic languages.[13][14]
| Sovereign states |
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|---|---|
| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other territories | |
