Pashto

Pashto is written using an extended form of the Perso-Arabic script, adapted specifically for the Pashto language. Its modern standardized form developed through centuries of regional literary tradition in what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan, with orthographic refinement continuing into the 20th century.

The Pashto writing system is an abjad-based alphabetic system, meaning it originates from Arabic script but has been significantly expanded to represent vowels and consonants more explicitly. Compared to classical Arabic, Pashto includes a larger set of dedicated letters for sounds unique to its phonology.

The modern Pashto alphabet contains approximately 44 letters, combining standard Arabic-derived characters with additional unique letters such as ټ, ډ, ړ, ږ, ښ, ځ, څ, and ڼ, which represent retroflex and other distinctive consonants not found in Arabic.

Pashto is written from right to left and is used in education, literature, media, and government contexts in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. It serves as one of the two official languages of Afghanistan.

One of the most distinctive features of Pashto writing is its extensive use of additional consonant letters to represent sounds absent in Arabic and Persian. These expansions allow the script to closely match spoken Pashto phonology.

Visually, Pashto combines flowing Arabic calligraphic structure with a set of uniquely shaped extended letters. These additions give the script a distinctive identity within the Perso-Arabic writing family.

In summary, Pashto is an Arabic-derived abjad expanded into a near-complete phonemic system, combining traditional Perso-Arabic script structure with specialized consonant additions to accurately represent the Pashto language.