Hazara

American  

[huh-zahr-uh] / həˈzɑr ə /

noun

Hazara, plural Hazaras plural

1. an Iranian ethnolinguistic group in central Afghanistan, north Pakistan, and Iran, most of whom are Shiʿite Muslims.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Hazara
  plural
• Hazaras
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Hazara

From Persian hazār “a thousand, a military unit of a thousand soldiers,” from Middle Persian

Example Sentences

The city grabbed international attention in 2001, when the Sunni Pashtun Taliban authorities destroyed two large Buddha statues cherished by the predominantly Shia Hazara community in the region.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

Fida Ali, another Hazara, said: "Of course there is radicalism in Pakistan, but Afghanistan is on a completely different level."

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2023

For example, I advocate on behalf of a group of Hazara women who previously worked in the security sector.

From Slate • Aug. 23, 2023

The Hazara Express was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi when 10 cars derailed near the Sarhari railway station off Nawabshah, said senior railway officer Mahmoodur Rehman Lakho.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 6, 2023

There was a young light-skinned Hazara woman sewing a shawl in a corner of the room.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini