Arabic Language vs Farsi Similarities & Differences

In this Essay we will learn about Arabic Language vs Farsi. To begin with, one should be aware of the geographical location of his or her customers, the official languages used in their country, and those dialects that are prevalent in the group of people that one is targeting. When you have done some preliminary research, you can select the right language/s to be localized.

Arabic

We can begin with Arabic or rather Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) which is an official language in most of the Middle East nations. These nations are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Farsi

The general perception of many of our customers is that the Arabic will also extend to other nations like Iran. However, this is not the case. You should choose another language, Farsi, in order to conduct business in Iran.

A Note About Arabic Language vs Farsi:

The Academy of Persian Language and Literature has insisted that the endonym Farsi should not be used in other languages but that Persian is the correct name of the language in English language since it has a history of longer experience in the Western languages and is more effective as indicating the role of the language as a symbol of cultural and national continuity.

Persian is an official language with a polarimetric language that is mainly spoken in the country.:

How Do These Two Languages Differ?

In a very simple manner, the Arabic and Persian languages are different and do not belong to the same family and do not have any similarities regarding phonology and grammar.

The Persian language, is an Iranian language of the Indo-European family
Arabic is a semitic language family of the central semitic language that is common in the Arab world.

Despite the characteristic alphabet, Farsi has four other letters: پ چ ژ گ. and the writing is cursive, that is, the majority of the letters within a word are interconnected. In both, the writing direction is towards the right.

Arabic Language vs Farsi Comparison Summary

This table is the primary difference between Persian and Arabic.

Feature	Arabic	Persian (Farsi)
Language Family	Semitic	Indo-Iranian
Grammar	Root system (e.g. “ك ت ب” – writing)	No root system, more regular verb patterns
Pronunciation	Some difficult sounds (e.g., ع, غ)	Softer sounds, غ replaces ق sometimes
Script	Arabic alphabet	Arabic alphabet + 4 extra letters
Vocabulary	Strong ties to Arabic roots	Many borrowed words from Arabic, different usage
Common Phrase	أهلاً وسهلاً (ahlan wa sahlan – “welcome”)	خوش آمدید (khosh āmadid – “welcome”)

Farsi differs in the numbers. Even though the figures are comparable to those in the Arabic language, they are written right to left. Thus, mathematical expressions, numerical dates, and numbers with units are incorporated left to right. Would you prefer to learn how much it would cost to translate your site or product into Arab or Farsi?

Should I Learn Arabic or Farsi?

Arabic is the better choice. Now let us explore some of the main arguments which may guide you in the choice between Arabic and Farsi. And no, I am not sure that my opinion can be unbiased since I am an Arabic teacher, but I will make you see the sense! Over 400 million people use Arabic which is spoken in over 25 countries.

It is a Middle Eastern and a North African language. It is also among the official languages of United Nations. The news, books, and formal writing are done in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Therefore, when you study Arabic, you are able to communicate with a large number of people in other nations.

Farsi, conversely, is primarily used in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It is a beautiful tongue, though it is only used in less places. The Arabic language is also religious. Arabic is the language where the Quran is written, in case you are interested in Islam.

A lot of Muslim all over the world study Arabic to be able to comprehend their prayers. Even the Farsi speaking people have to acquire some Arabic to attend to religion.

Conclusion:

The decision to learn Arabic Language vs Farsi is accompanied by the knowledge of their essence. Even though both languages share a script and have acted as the influence on each other in history, both languages are part of different language families:

Arabic is Semitic and Farsi is Indo-Iranian. Practically, the Arabic language has a population of more than 400 million people in more than 25 countries and is essential in interpreting Islamic texts, hence it is more worthy of global communication, business and religious studies.

Farsi, the main language of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, presents the information about rich Persian culture and literature, but has a weaker influence in the world. In general, Arabic tends to be a superior option when you want to have more opportunities and contacts, whereas Farsi might make the best option in case you are more interested in the Persian culture.