Kurdish resources

All about language programs, courses, websites and other learning resources
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Brun Ugle
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Kurdish resources

Postby Brun Ugle » Tue Nov 23, 2021 1:15 pm

This is far from finished, but with one thing and another, it’s taking me a lot of time, so I thought I’d just post what I have so far. I have only studied Kurmanji myself, so I hope if anyone has studied any of the other dialects and has some good resources, you can let me know.

Classes
Kurdish courses (Kurmanji, Sorani) – These are small online group courses with a native speaker. I have taken the Kurmanji classes and found them helpful. The same professor teaches both dialects. He is a linguist with a doctorate in Kurdish language. The more advanced levels are often not listed online, so write to them if you are interested in more advanced classes.
Kurdish lessons(Kurmanji) Online courses for small groups or individuals, adults or children.

Textbooks (Many of these can be found online, but I’m not sure that they are legally available for free.)
Fêrkera Kurdî; Doç. Dr. Abdurrahman Adak, Doç. Dr. Tahirhan Aydın, Öğr. Gör Zülküf Ergün, Öğr. Gör. Mikail Bülbül; (Kurmanji): monolingual, but with glossary in Turkish, with audio
Hînker: Kurmancî; Ronayî Onen & Samî Tan; (Kurmanji): monolingual, 3 levels, no audio. These books are used in the Kurmanji course at Kurdish courses
Kurmanji Kurdish for the Beginners: (Kurmanji) Grammar and exercises, but I haven’t found any answer key to the exercises, no audio
Learn Kurdish: A multi-level course in Kurmanji; Baran Rizgar: (Kurmanji) Grammar and exercises, no audio
Hînker: Kurdîya Navendî (Soranî); Dr. Hewa S. Khalid: (Sorani) He is the professor at Kurdish courses
Serkeftin!; Murat Baran (Kurmanji) Grammar and exercises. Some audio on YouTube.
Methode de Kurde (Sorani); J. Blau (Sorani): For French speakers.

Readers
Kurmanji Kurdish Reader; Deniz Ekici: (Kurmanji): Grammar followed by texts for reading with translations in English, no audio
Kurmanji Kurdish: A Reference Grammar with Selected Readings; W.M. Thackston: (Kurmanji) Grammar and readings in different scripts, no audio

Dictionaries
Ferhenga Destî: kurdî bi kurdî; Umîd Demîrhan (Kurmanji) – Monolingual
Kurdish-English Dictionary: Ferhenga Kurmancî-Inglîzî; Michael L. Chyet: (Kurmanji – English/ English Kurmanji)
Kürtçe/Türkçe, Kürtçe/Fransızca, Kürtçe/İngilizce Sözlük; Dictionnaire Kurde/Turc/Français/Anglais; Kurdish/Turkish/French/English Dictionary; J. Blau: (Kurmanji) definitions in Turkish, French and English


Phrase books
Easy Way to Kurdish: A mini course; Audio-Forum; (Sorani)
Kauderwelsch: Kurdisch: Wort für Wort: Kurmancî: (Kurmanji) For German speakers

Other online learning materials
GLOSS (Kurmanji, Sorani) (free)
NFLC E-Learning Portal (Kurmanji, Sorani) (free)
Glossika (Sorani) (free)
uTalk (Kurmanji, Sorani)

Media
Çandname (mostly Kurmanji, a little Zazaki) – Online cultural newspaper.
Rudaw (Kurmanji, Sorani)

Reading/books
Pûk Book (Kurmanji, Sorani, Zazaki) A few Swedish children’s books with audio. You have to make an account to read past the first few pages, but it’s free.
Kurdish school books(Kurmanji) These are textbooks used in the schools in the Rojava region of Kurdistan, so you can recreate your childhood as a Kurd. The links for the last year of high school don’t all work, but all these books can be found other places online if you look. The publisher has posted them all over the net so that they can be used by Kurdish children everywhere. The classes are also recorded on YouTube. dibistana male
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Brun Ugle
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Re: Kurdish resources

Postby Brun Ugle » Tue Nov 23, 2021 1:15 pm

YouTube channels
Albertê Çekdar (Kurmanji) Caillou and Marsupilami in Kurdish. Great for beginners.
Cedirc Bi Kurdî(Kurmanji) Cedric cartoons in Kurdish.
Civaka Kurdên Rojava li Finlandiyayê(Kurmanji, but also Arabic and others) A huge mixture of stuff, but there are a number of videos in Kurdish on learning Kurdish.
Deng(Kurmanji) Not much here, but some videos on learning Kurdish.
Dengi Kurdsat(Sorani) Music
Dibistana Kurdî(Kurmanji) Some educational videos. Also, an audiobook of Animal Farm.
dibistana male (Kurmanji) Recordings of actual school classes, so you can learn 4th grade social studies, 9th grade history, 11th grade chemistry, etc. all over again, this time in Kurdish. The books for the classes are here: Kurdish school books
DirejjMehmed (Kurmanji) Includes the audiobook of Rojek ji Rojên Evdalê Zeynîkê by Mehmed Uzun.
Dr Eser Çetin (Kurmanji) A doctor talks about health.
Enstîtuya Kurdî ya Stenbolê (Kurmanji) Some videos for learning Kurdish.
Fuat (Kurmanji) Several short stories with text.
fêrgeha kurdî (Kurmanji) Videos on learning Kurdish for Turkish speakers.
Gulê Can Ronahî (Kurmanji) A Kurdish cooking channel.
HINEK HENEK (Kurmanji) Comedy theatre.
Hîngeha Kurdî (Kurmanji) Monolingual videos for learning Kurdish.
Japan Bi Kurdi (spoken Kurmanji, subtitled Sorani, English, Japanese) Japanese woman talks about Japan in Kurdish.
JÎN TV (Kurmanji) Cartoons.
kurd1 (Kurmanji) Includes a nice monolingual series for learning Kurdish.
Kurdi Online (Kurmanji) Kurdish lessons for Turkish speakers
Kurdish Fairy Tales (Kurmanji) Fairy tales in Kurdish. Pinocchio, Snow White, Peter Pan, etc
Kurdish Space (Kurmanji) Short videos about science-related topics.
Kurdish, Kurmanji Lessons (Kurmanji) Kurdish lessons. She also runs the Kurdish lessons school.
KurdisNet (Kurmanji) Kurdish lessons in Kurdish
Kurdistan TV (Sorani) News
Kurdistan24 (Sorani) News
Kurdistan24 Kurmanci (Kurmanji) News
KurdistanTV Nordic Branch (Kurmanji) News
Kurdoman (Kurmanji) Kurdish lessons for speakers of English and Arabic
Kurdsat (Sorani) Various
KURDÎ BİXWÎNE! (Kurmanji) For Turkish speakers
Kurdî Bi Hêsanî (Kurmanji) Videos on learning Kurdish. Monolingual.
Mamoste - Online Kurdish Lesson (Kurmanji)
ME 24 Kurd (Kurmanji) Includes lectures on various subjects.
Metbexa Rengîn / Renkli Mutfak (Kurmanji) Cooking channel
Newroz TV (Sorani) News programs
omer narman (Kurmanji) Monolingual Kurdish lessons
PELFİLM TV (Kurmanji) Many excellent documentaries on Kurdistan and Kurdish life and culture.
Pencereya Kurdî (Kurmanji) More documentaries.
pirtûkên dengî (Kurmanji) Audio books. Mostly short stories, but they also have “Of Mice and Men”.
Podcast Kurdi (Kurmanji) Podcast
Rêşad Sorgul (Kurmanji) Includes a number of short stories, poems and audio books.
Rûdaw Kurdî (Kurmanji) News
SEBRA MALAN (Kurmanji) Comedy series
SERKEFTIN (Kurmanji) Audio for Serkeftin textbooks
Tav û Sî (Kurmanji) Monolingual lessons and lessons for Russian speakers.
TRTKurdî (Kurmanji) Kurdish TV station. Has various series.
kurd1 (Kurmanji) Monolingual lessons
VOAinKurdi (Kurmanji) News
Waar Kovely (Kurmanji) Cartoons
Waar Media (Kurmanji) Diverse
Xwarinên Dayika Min (Kurmanji) Cooking
Xwebûn (Kurmanji) Diverse
Zarok TV (Kurmanji, Kirmanjki) Children’s programming
zimanê kurdî (Kurmanji) Includes among other things, a series of videos of an actual class using the first Hînker book for Kurmanji.
Çandname I XEBATÊN JIYANÊ (Kurmanji) Includes monolingual Kurdish lessons.
Şivan Zeren (Kurmanji) Various. Includes a few fairy tales.
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Brun Ugle
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Re: Kurdish resources

Postby Brun Ugle » Tue Nov 23, 2021 1:16 pm

Reserved in case I need another page.
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guyome
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Re: Kurdish resources

Postby guyome » Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:43 pm

Thanks, Brun Ugle!

The JBLM Language and Culture Center has put online a Kurmanji and a Sorani course.
The material should also be available for download but the link to the Kurmanji zip file is dead. The one for Sorani works though.

I've worked through most of the Uzbek course and my feeling was that, although not groundbreaking, they're decent enough courses to get you through the basics.
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boracasli98
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Re: Kurdish resources

Postby boracasli98 » Mon Oct 24, 2022 5:33 pm

I have quite a lot of Kurmanji Kurdish books, but they're either monolingual or for speakers of Turkish. There is a textbook by Çeto Özel called "Kurdiya Nûjen" (Modern Kurdish), published by the Kurdish Institute of Istanbul (Enstîtuya Kurdî ya Stenbolê). And as a dictionary, there is a fairly comprehensive Kurdish-Turkish bilingual dictionary by Zana Farqînî, also published by the Kurdish Institute of Istanbul.

By the way, "Fêrkera Kurdî" is actually "Mamoste 1 - Fêrkera Kurdî" and it was published by the Mardin Artuklu University, where the first Kurdish Language and Literature department in Turkey was opened. I bought the book from a website called Pirtûka Kurdî and it's also used in the free-of-charge Kurdish courses provided by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, but these courses require a permanent residence in the province of Istanbul.

I also own all three books of Hînker (Kurmancî) but didn't have the time to inspect the books. These books were also published by the same publisher where Kurdiya Nûjen was published.

The "Learn Kurdish" book by Baran Rizgar was translated into Turkish as "Uygulamalı Kürtçe Dersleri" and published by DOZ.

Also, "Nivîsa min" by Kamuran Bedir Xan was translated from French into Turkish as "Kolay Kürtçe", also published by DOZ.
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