Arabic script is cursive and contextual. Letters change their shape (Isolated, Initial, Medial, or Final) depending on their position in a word. Furthermore, the script requires precise glyph positioning for ligatures and diacritics. If a font does not contain the specific instructions (OpenType features) to connect these letters correctly, the text becomes unreadable. Early Limitations
The core of the problem is that Calibri supports the standard Arabic alphabet but does include the unique, additional letters needed for the Sorani dialect. While writing in Arabic or Farsi, Calibri will look fine. But when a Kurdish speaker tries to type the unique letters ÛŽ, Úµ, or Û• , they often appear as empty squares or question marks. calibri font kurdish
Calibri works 95% for Kurmanji, but fails 100% for Sorani’s unique letters. Arabic script is cursive and contextual
Ensure you are using the latest version of Microsoft 365 or Windows. Font rendering for Kurdish characters has seen massive improvements in the last five years. If a font does not contain the specific
An Arabic Ya with a small V-shaped sign underneath it.
If Calibri fails to render your Kurdish characters correctly, consider these fonts known for robust Kurdish Unicode support: