# Balochi alphabets

Balochi alphabets (Balochi: بلۏچی سیاھگ; Balòci Siyàhag) consist of the Balòrabi script, based on the Perso-Arabic script, and the Balòtin script, based on the Latin script. Both scripts are used for the Balochi language spoken in the Balochistan region of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
Uppsala University offers a course titled Balochi A, which provides basic knowledge of the phonetics and syntax of the Balochi language. Carina Jahani is a prominent Swedish Iranologist and professor of Iranian languages at Uppsala University, deeply researching in the study and preservation of the Balochi language.

## Alphabet

The Balochi alphabet, standardized by Balochi Academy Sarbaz, consists of 32 letters.
The Romanized version is called Balòtin, and the Arabic version is called Balòrabi.

### Script Correspondence Table

| Romanization | Letter | Letter | Letter | Letter | IPA | Romanized Examples |
| Romanization | Final | Medial | Initial | Isolated | IPA | Romanized Examples |
| A / a | ءَ/ـہ | َـ | اَ | اَ / ہَ | /a/ | Aps (horse), Apserk (cold) |
| À / à | ـا | ـا | آ | آ / ا | /ɑ/ | Àp (water), Àmàd (ready) |
| B / b | ـب | ـبـ | بـ | ب | /b/ | Bàl (wing), Bàsk (arm) |
| C / c | ـچ | ـچـ | چـ | چ | /t͡ʃ/ | Coll (channel) |
| D / d | ـد | ـد | د | د | /d̪/ | Dast (hand) |
| Ď / ď | ـڈ | ـڈ | ڈ | ڈ | /ɖ/ | Ďòk (heavy), Ďèl (donkey), Ďæns (dance) |
| E / e | ءِ | ـِ | اِ | اِ / ہِ | /e/ | Ezm (art), Ezmkàr (artist),Ensàn (Human) |
| È / è | ـے | ـݔـ | ݔـ | ࢩ/ے | /ɪ/ - /eː/ | Èràn (Iran), Janèn (Woman), Bèr (revenge) |
| G / g | ـگ | ـگـ | گـ | گ | /ɡ/ | Guhàr (sister), Gal (happy), Gall (group) |
| H / h | ـہ | ـھـ | ھـ | ھ / ہ | /h/ | Hapt (seven), Hodà (god) |
| I/i | ـی | ـیـ | ایـ | ی/ای | /i/ | Pir (old), Sir (wedding) |
| J / j | ـج | ـجـ | جـ | ج | /d͡ʒ/ | Jost (question), Jàh (place) |
| K / k | ـک | ـکـ | کـ | ک | /k/ | Kaur (river), Kam (little) |
| L / l | ـل | ـلـ | لـ | ل | /l/ | Laiť (lamp) |
| M / m | ـم | ـمـ | مـ | م | /m/ | Mam (beer), Mà (we, us), Man (I) |
| N / n | ـن | ـنـ | نـ | ن | /n/ | Nàl (Balochi promise), Nend (to Seat) |
| O / o | ءُ | ُـ | اُ | اُ/ہُ | /o/ | Poll (flower) |
| Ò / ò | ـۏ | ـۏ | اۏ | ۏ / اۏ | /ʊ/ - /oː/ | Òpàr (hope), Òdà (there), Òlàk (vehicle) |
| P / p | ـپ | ـپـ | پـ | پ | /p/ | Pàd (foot), Pašk (shirt) |
| R / r | ـر | ـر | ر | ر | /ɾ/ | Rang (color), Ròp (clean), Ròpag (cleaner) |
| S / s | ـس | ـسـ | سـ | س | /s/ | Sàng (marriage) |
| Š / š | ـش | ـشـ | شـ | ش | /ʃ/ | Šap (night) |
| T / t | ـت | ـتـ | تـ | ت | /t̪/ | Tors (fear) |
| Ť / ť | ـٹ | ـٹـ | ٹـ | ٹ | /ʈ/ | Ťulàsk (tower) |
| U / u | ـوُ | ـوُ | اُو | وُ/اُو | /u/ | Nuh (nine) |
| W / w | ـو | ـو | و | و | /w/ | Wàd (salt) Waď (kind) |
| Y / y | ـی | ـیـ | یـ | ی | /j/ | Yak (one) |
| Z / z | ـز | ـز | ز | ز | /z/ | Zend (live), Zit (soon), Zòr (power) |
| Ž / ž | ـژ | ـژ | ژ | ژ | /ʒ/ | Žand (tired) |

### Some digraphs in Balochi writing

Balochi also has 3 digraphs set by Balochi Academy Sarbaz in Standard Alphabets:
| Romanization | Letter of Digraphs | Letter of Digraphs | Letter of Digraphs | Letter of Digraphs | IPA | Romanized Examples |
| Romanization | Final | Medial | Initial | Isolated | IPA | Romanized Examples |
| Æ / æ(Ae /ae) | ـئ | ـئـ | ئـ | ئ | /ɛ/ | Sæ (three), Æš, Pæl (action), Bænk (Bank) |
| Ai / ai | ـئی | ـئیـ | ائیـ | ئی | /ɑiː/ | Taig (yours), Mai (our), Aid (Eid) |
| Au / au | ـؤ | ـؤ | اؤ | ؤ | /ɑuː/ | Augàn(afghan), Kaur (river) |

### Arabic diacritics in Balochi writing

Arabic diacritics are used in Balochi, as with other scripts derived from Arabic:
| Marks | Name | Example words | Purpose / effect | Pronouncing |
| َ◌ | zabar | ڈَک، مَ‍‍چ، گ‍‍رَنچ، دَنز | Adding vowel | /a/ |
| ِ◌ | zèr | کِ‍‍رّ، سِ‍‍لّ، ھِ‍‍نگ، تِ‍‍چک | Adding vowel | /e/ |
| ُ◌ | pèš | پُ‍‍لّ، کُ‍‍رت، کُ‍‍مب | Adding vowel | /o/ |
| ّ◌ | šadd | گُ‍‍ٹّ، پُ‍‍لّ، گَ‍‍لّ | Consonant gemination | |
| ٚ◌ | gowanďi | دَنٚ‍‍ز، کَ‍‍مٚ‍‍ب، اَمٚ‍‍ب، سیاھݔ‍‍نٚ | Nasal vowel | /◌̃/ |

### Use of Hamza

One of the aspects that distinguishes Balochi orthography from other orthographies derived from Perso-Arabic Script is the use of stand-alone Hamza (ء‎), which, depending on its function within a sentence, is always written with one of three vowel diacritics. Stand-alone Hamza without diacritic is also used similar to other Perso-Arabic Scripts, to indicated glottal stop at end of words
The use of Hamza in such a way was first used in Balochi by poet Husayn Anqa, and officially adopted into Balochi as a result of decisions made in a convention in Karachi, Pakistan on 22 July 1959, attended by prominent Balochi poets and literaturists.
Below are the forms that stand-alone Hamza is used:
| Form | Diacritic | Example words | Purpose / effect | Pronouncing |
| ء‎ | None | | Adding glottal stop to end of word | /ʔ/ |
| ءَ‎ | zabar | منءَ اۏشتون‎ (I will stand [obj.]) کلمءَ گُش ایت‎ (the pen will say[obj.]) | Accusative, Dative, Oblique | /a/ |
| ءِ‎ | zèr | شپءِ نݔم‎ (Midnight) | Genitive (Possession) | /e/ |
| ءُ‎ | pèš | من ءُ تؤ‎ (I and you) | and | /o/ |

## Balochi Numbers

| Number | Balochi | Number Name |
| 0 | ۰ | ھِچ |
| 1 | ۱ | یَک |
| 2 | ۲ | دوٚ |
| 3 | ۳ | سئ |
| 4 | ۴ | چار |
| 5 | ۵ | پَنچ |
| 6 | ۶ | شَش |
| 7 | ۷ | ھَپت |
| 8 | ۸ | ھَشت |
| 9 | ۹ | نُھ |