Khowar
| Khowar | |
|---|---|
| کھووار | |
Khowar written in the Khowar alphabet in Nastaliq style. | |
| Native to | Pakistan |
| Region | Chitral |
| Ethnicity | Kho people (Chitralis) |
Native speakers | 580,000 (2020) |
| Perso-Arabic script (Khowar alphabet) | |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | Association for the Promotion of Khowar |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | khw |
| Glottolog | khow1242 |
| ELP | Khowar |
| Linguasphere | 59-AAB-aa |
Map showing the distribution of the Khowar language | |
Khowar (کھووار, Khōwār, [kʰɔːwaːr]), also known by its common exonym Chitrali, is an Indo-Aryan language of the Dardic group, primarily spoken by the Kho people (Chitralis), native to the Chitral region and surrounding areas of Pakistan.
Khowar is the lingua franca of Chitral, and it is also spoken in the Gupis-Yasin and Ghizer districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, as well in the Upper Swat district.
Speakers of Khowar have also migrated heavily to Pakistan's major urban centres, with Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar having significant populations. It is also spoken as a second language by the Kalash people.