Dari

Dari is the Afghan variety of Persian, one of the two official languages of Afghanistan alongside Pashto. Spoken by approximately 12 million people as a first language and widely used as a lingua franca across Afghanistan's ethnically diverse population, Dari serves as the language of government, education, media, and inter-ethnic communication in much of the country.

In Australia, Dari speakers number approximately 50,000 according to the 2021 Census. The Afghan-Australian community has grown through successive waves of humanitarian migration, beginning with refugees from the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s, continuing through the Taliban era, and increasing significantly following the conflicts of the 2000s and the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Communities are concentrated in Melbourne (particularly Dandenong and surrounding suburbs), Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide.

Dari is written in a modified Perso-Arabic script, reading right-to-left, and is largely mutually intelligible with Iranian Farsi. However, Dari has distinct vocabulary, pronunciation patterns, and some grammatical differences that distinguish it from the Iranian standard. The script is essentially the same as used for Farsi, with the same additional characters beyond the Arabic base alphabet.

The Afghan-Australian community is ethnically diverse, including Hazara, Tajik, Pashtun, Uzbek, and other ethnic groups, many of whom use Dari as a first or second language. The Hazara community in particular has been a major driver of Dari-language demand in Australia, as Hazara refugees have settled in significant numbers and maintained strong community organisations and cultural institutions.

Many Dari-speaking Australians have experienced significant trauma through conflict, persecution, and the refugee journey. This background profoundly shapes communication needs — clarity, sensitivity, and cultural awareness are essential in all translated content, particularly in healthcare, legal, and settlement service contexts. The community's ongoing concern for family and connections remaining in Afghanistan adds emotional weight to many communications.

For organisations, Dari is a critical language for refugee and humanitarian services in Australia. Settlement services, healthcare providers, mental health services, legal aid, education, and employment services all require Dari-language provision. The community's ongoing growth through humanitarian pathways means demand for Dari language services continues to increase.