Never Trust Anyone Who Says “Afghani”

People who live in Afghanistan are not “Afghanis,” but Afghans . “Afghani” is an apparent conflation of “Afghan” with “Pakistani” and reflects the general tendency to confuse Afghanistan with Pakistan. It’s conceivable that people who say “Afghani” are trying to steer clear of the term “Afghan” because it makes them think of a wool coverlet or a large dog, associations that they fear may give offense. Nonetheless, “Afghan” is the correct term.

“Afghani” is a real word, but it refers not to the people of Afghanistan, but rather to its principal unit of currency . Hence, referring to the people of Afghanistan as “Afghanis” is roughly equivalent to referring to the people of the United States as “dollars.” (According to this currency converter , $1 will presently buy you 4,750 afghani.) More recently, the word “Afghani,” when coupled with the word “Arab,” has acquired a different meaning: An “Afghani Arab” is an Arab who is not from Afghanistan, but who fought in the last two decades of Afghan wars and has now moved on to another trouble spot.

I have seen both “Afghans” and “Afghanis” used widely. Lately, as I’ve been posting stories, I’ve wondered which term is correct? I’ve been opting for “Afghans” although I have occasionally used “Afghanis”, usually whenever the story I am commenting on uses that form. I finally tired of wondering which is appropriate. So, a quick search for afghan afghani usage on Google yielded a discussion thread titled Sweaters and Refugees. Shortly after discovering that page, I happened upon a link to the article quoted above at InstaPundit. So now I know.