Free survival kit

Pashto survival kit

The 20 essential phrases and 101 key words to get by in Pashto when travelling.

20 phrases
101 key words in the PDF

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Greetings

Pashto	English
سلام	hello, peace
السلام علیکم	peace be upon you
وعلیکم السلام	and upon you peace
څنګه یې؟	how are you? (sg, informal)
څنګه یاست؟	how are you? (pl, formal)
مننه	thank you
ډېره مننه	thank you very much
خدای پامان	goodbye (lit. May God protect)

Asking for directions

Pashto	English
کور	house
بازار	market, bazaar
ښوونځی	school
جومات	mosque

Emergencies

Pashto	English
سر	head
لاس	hand
پښه	foot, leg
سترګه	eye

At the restaurant

Pashto	English
ډوډۍ	bread, meal
اوبه	water
چای	tea
غوښه	meat

30 key words to remember

Pashto	English
مهرباني وکړئ	please
بخښنه غواړم	excuse me, I beg pardon
هو	yes
نه	no
جوړ	well, fine, healthy
ښه راغلاست	welcome
کول	to do, to make
لرل	to have
تلل	to go
راتلل	to come
خوړل	to eat
څښل	to drink
لیدل	to see
پوهېدل	to understand, to know
غوښتل	to want
ورکول	to give
اخیستل	to take
ویل	to say
لوستل	to read, to study
لیکل	to write
ویده کېدل	to sleep
ویښېدل	to wake up
پېرل	to buy
پلورل	to sell
کار کول	to work
خوښول	to like
یم	to be (1sg present)
پوهېدل	to understand
پوښتل	to ask
ځواب ورکول	to answer

In context: 5 scenes to get by

On arrival

You arrive at a border post or airport in a Pashtun area. The officer greets you with As-salamu alaykum, and you reply with the proper response. After a brief polite exchange, you ask how he is.

سلام : hello, peace
السلام علیکم : peace be upon you
وعلیکم السلام : and upon you peace
څنګه یې؟ : how are you? (sg, informal)

In a taxi

The driver loads your bags and asks where you are going. You give your guesthouse near the bazaar, mentioning you want to go past the school and the central mosque to get your bearings. He nods and drives off.

کور : house
بازار : market, bazaar
ښوونځی : school
جومات : mosque

At the café

You enter a tea house (chaikhana) in the early evening. The owner sits you on a carpet and hands you the menu. You order bread (doday), water, tea and a portion of grilled meat with naan.

ډوډۍ : bread, meal
اوبه : water
چای : tea
غوښه : meat

In an emergency

You need medical help after a fall. You ask for help by pointing to your head, hand, foot and eye to describe your injuries. Your host understands the situation and calls a local doctor.

سر : head
لاس : hand
پښه : foot, leg
سترګه : eye

On departure

On the morning of departure, you ask your host one last time how he is, then thank him warmly with mananah and the stronger expression. You bid farewell with Khoday paaman, which means may God protect you.

څنګه یاست؟ : how are you? (pl, formal)
مننه : thank you
ډېره مننه : thank you very much
خدای پامان : goodbye (lit. May God protect)

Cultural notes

The greeting As-salamu alaykum (peace be upon you) is universal and is always answered with Wa alaykum as-salam. It is the basic formula: pronouncing it correctly opens every door in Pashtun society.
The Pashtunwali code of honour governs the daily life of Pashtuns. Its pillars are hospitality (melmastia), refuge granted to whoever asks (nanawatai) and justice (badal). These values shape social relations far more than written law.
Hospitality is sacred: a guest, even a stranger, is fed and protected unconditionally. Refusing offered food or tea may be seen as an offence. Accept and thank with mananah.
Gender separation (purdah) is observed in many regions, especially rural. Address men first and avoid offering your hand directly to a woman unless she initiates the gesture. Women travellers should pack a headscarf and loose clothing.
Green tea (chai) is central to every social interaction. It is drunk throughout the day, sweetened, sometimes with cardamom. It is offered to guests, customers and negotiators. Accept at least one glass.
Sunni Islam is the dominant cultural and religious framework. The five daily prayers punctuate the day, and Friday is the holy day. Dress modestly, remove your shoes before entering a mosque or a home.
Pashto is spoken in difficult political contexts: post-2021 Afghanistan, Pakistani border areas (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). Check travel advisories before any trip and avoid sensitive political topics such as the Taliban, NATO or the Durand Line.
Poetry is highly valued: Khushal Khan Khattak and Rahman Baba are national references. Quoting a verse or expressing admiration for Pashtun poetry is an excellent way to build a warm connection.

Keep the whole kit on your phone

The 20 phrases, 101 key words and the cultural notes in a PDF to keep offline or print. We also send it to you by e-mail.

A family language

Reconnect with Pashto

The language of your parents, your grandparents or your partner. The one you want to pass on to your children.

A couple by the water — Speaking the language of the country means reconnecting with its people.

A mother and her son, cheek to cheek — Now, at home, we speak Pashto.

A young woman on the phone — “Hi Mum, I speak Pashto!”

A father and his son in traditional dress — Children who speak Pashto are the greatest cultural wealth you can bring to your family.

A grandmother in a blue headscarf smiles — Your grandparents’ Pashto should not end with them.

Finally understand what is said at the table, and answer back.
Your in-laws speak Pashto to you. Answer them in Pashto.

A language is passed down from generation to generation. Now it is your turn.

Start Pashto for free

About this kit

Pashto (پښتو) is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan and the mother tongue of over 50 million Pashtuns in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the diaspora. It is written with an Arabic-Persian alphabet enriched with specific letters. With this kit, you have the bare essentials to find your way, greet people and show respect in a society where honour is a pillar.

Pashto (پښتو, pakhto or pashto depending on the region) is an Eastern Iranian language spoken by approximately 50 to 60 million people, mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with a significant diaspora in the Middle East, Europe and North America. It is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan alongside Dari, and the mother tongue of the Pashtuns, a people structured by the Pashtunwali code of honour.

Pashto is written with an Arabic-Persian alphabet enriched with specific letters to render sounds absent in Arabic or Persian, such as retroflexes (ړ, ډ, ټ) and particular aspirated consonants. The language presents a rich dialectology: there is a more conservative south-western dialect (Kandahar) and a more open north-eastern dialect (Peshawar, Khyber). The grammar combines grammatical cases inherited from Old Iranian and a complex gender system.

Travelling in Pashtun areas means entering a society where honour, hospitality and the given word matter more than anything. The codes of Pashtunwali govern social relations: melmastia (hospitality), nanawatai (refuge), badal (retributive justice) and nang (honour) are central concepts. The poetry of Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak constitutes a national heritage valued by every interlocutor. This kit gathers the bare essentials to greet properly, find your way through a bazaar, share tea, signal pain and take your leave with respect. You will also find cultural tips to respect gender separation, Sunni Islam and hospitality rules. Memorise these phrases before leaving and you will immediately earn the trust of your hosts.

Sources and references

Every translation is cross-checked against at least two concordant sources among the references below.

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