On August 16, 2025, the press office of Herat’s provincial governor announced remarkable news: a nine-year-old boy in Herat had learned to speak eight different languages. The boy, named Mohammad Amiri, had met with the governor of Herat, Noor Ahmad Islamjar.
The following day, to showcase the child’s exceptional talent, the Herat Department of Information and Culture organized a public conference attended by several language instructors and members of the media.
Around 9 a.m. on August 17, Mohammad Amiri entered the conference hall with his father and two other companions. As the teachers and officials gathered, the conference began. During the event, instructors of various languages were invited to engage Mohammad in conversational exchanges, testing his claimed fluency.
Teachers of English, Turkish, German, French, Pashto, Arabic, and Urdu spoke with Mohammad one after another. With remarkable confidence and fluency, he responded effortlessly to each of them, leaving the audience astonished.
Later, organizers decided to test his mathematical skills as well, since Mohammad was also known for his exceptional ability to perform mental arithmetic. His father, holding a tablet, multiplied two long and complex numbers in front of the media and asked his son for the result. After a few moments of focus, Mohammad calmly gave the correct answer.
The audience was amazed. Many described his abilities as “extraordinary” and called him a “true prodigy.”
Mir Ahmad Atayee, head of a local language training center, told khate-nakhost:
“Today, teachers fluent in various languages spoke with Mohammad Amiri. What we witnessed clearly proved his exceptional talent for both language learning and mathematics.”
He added, “On average, it takes one to two years to learn a language at an intermediate level in Afghanistan, and at least four years to master it professionally. Yet Mohammad has learned each of these languages in about two years.”
Mohammad Ayoub Quraishi, another language instructor who spoke with Mohammad first in Arabic and then in Urdu, said:
“This boy has incredible potential. His speech was clear and fluent. Normally, it takes about five months to learn Urdu and nearly a year to learn Arabic, but the fact that he mastered them in just two months is extraordinary.”
A video report of this event is available on the khate-nakhost YouTube channel, and several other media outlets have also produced features about this gifted boy from Herat.
It is fascinating to learn that Mohammad acquired all these languages—and his math skills—without ever attending school or any educational institute, relying solely on YouTube lessons.
Mohammad says he is originally from the Shindand district of Herat but was born and raised in the city. At the age of seven, he began learning to read and write Persian through YouTube. After mastering the Persian alphabet, he moved on to English, a process that took him about four months.
He later studied German, French, Urdu, Arabic, Pashto, and most recently, Turkish.
Mohammad says he studies about six hours every day, learns from YouTube tutorials, and practices speaking through conversations with ChatGPT.
According to him, he memorizes around 180 new words from each language daily, along with 100 common phrases. He spends about three to four hours a day on leisure activities—usually walking around the city with his father.
Mohammad considers his gift a blessing from God and says his parents have always encouraged and supported him in developing it.
When asked why he does not attend school, he replied:
“After discovering my talent, I realized I didn’t need to go to school. I’ve been able to learn languages and writing entirely through YouTube.”
He added that his next goal, after mastering eight languages, is to learn Chinese and Russian.
In addition to languages and mathematics, Mohammad enjoys solving the Rubik’s Cube. What takes most people several minutes—or even hours—he can solve in just 30 seconds.
He explained, “The Rubik’s Cube has a Latin formula. Once you learn it, you can solve it quickly—and I learned it.”
Speaking about his dreams and ambitions, Mohammad said:
“I want to study mathematics and physics further and become a leading scientist for Afghanistan.”
After news of his extraordinary talent spread, many Afghans called for support for Mohammad Amiri. Several businessmen and philanthropists in Herat have offered assistance and pledged to help him continue his education.
What lies ahead for this exceptional child—and how his future unfolds in Afghanistan—remains to be seen.
