Pashto

American  

[puhsh-toh] / ˈpʌʃ toʊ /

Also Pushto.

noun

1. an Indo-European, Iranian language that is the official language of Afghanistan and the chief vernacular of the eastern part of the nation.

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Pashto British  

/ ˈpʌʃtəʊ /

noun

1. a language of Afghanistan and NW Pakistan, belonging to the East Iranian branch of the Indo-European family: since 1936 the official language of Afghanistan

2. a speaker of the Pashto language; a Pathan

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adjective

1. denoting or relating to this language or a speaker of it

Example Sentences

Here is a page from a U.S.-funded first-grade Pashto and math booklet created by University of Nebraska for kids in Afghanistan and Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan:

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2025

"If we violate the ban, we face prison. If we comply, we face destitution," one unnamed farmer in Helmand province told BBC Pashto this summer.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

Now, the network airs programming in four languages: Persian, Mandarin, Dari and Pashto.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2025

Syed, who speaks Pashto and no English, has remained in custody without bond since his arrest.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2024

Then she began to speak—a stream of language—of English and Latin, Arabic and Russian, Cantonese, Pashto, Dragon, Sphinx.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell