Pashto
پښتو
Pashto's landay poetry — just 22 syllables in two lines — has been used by Pashtun women to express love and courage for centuries. Pashtunwali demands that any guest must be fed and protected.
Lin says:
Salam! I'm Lin! Pashto is the language of the Pashtun people — one of the world's largest tribal societies, straddling the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pashto poetry (landay) is an ancient oral tradition, and Pashtun hospitality (Pashtunwali) is legendary — a guest must always be fed and protected. Afghanistan has some of the world's most dramatic landscapes — the Hindu Kush mountains are breathtaking! Stara mashe! (Stay strong!)
Quick Facts
Speakers
~40 million
Language Family
Indo-European (Iranian)
Writing
Pashto script (right to left)
Region
Afghanistan & Pakistan (Khyber)
Discover Pashto
Pashto's landay poetry — just 22 syllables in two lines — has been used by Pashtun women to express love and courage for centuries. Pashtunwali demands that any guest must be fed and protected.
Writing System
Pashto script (Arabic-based, right to left)
Native Speakers
~40 million
Key Countries
For Educators
Language learning builds empathy and global understanding. Use this page to spark classroom discussions about cultural diversity and communication across borders.
Did You Know?
Pashto poetry has been recorded since the 8th century — the Pata Khazana ("Hidden Treasure"), an anthology of Pashto poetry, is considered Afghanistan's first literary text.
The Pashtun people are one of the world's largest stateless ethnic groups — divided by the Durand Line (the Afghanistan-Pakistan border) drawn by the British in 1893.
Pashto music, with its rawab (lute), tabla, and harmonium, was historically centred in Kabul and Peshawar — creating a rich classical and folk tradition.
What Makes Pashto Special?
Code of Pashtunwali
Pashtunwali — the Pashtun code of honour — demands hospitality (melmastia) to any guest, regardless of who they are. A stranger in need cannot be turned away.
Landay Poetry
Landay is an ancient Pashtun oral poetry form — just two lines, 22 syllables — used by women in particular to express love, grief, courage, and protest across centuries.
Hindu Kush Mountains
Pashto is spoken in the shadow of the Hindu Kush — one of the world's great mountain ranges, with peaks stretching from 4,000 to 7,700 metres above sea level.
Keep Exploring the World!
Languages are windows into the world's cultures. Discover more languages and the countries where they are spoken.