𐭯𐭠𐭫𐭮𐭩𐭪
Middle Persian (Pahlavi)
Indo-European (Iranian, Middle, Southwestern) · historical / hidden variety
Middle Persian (Pahlavi, پارسیگ) was the official language of the Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE) and the bridge between Old Persian and Modern Persian (New Persian/Farsi). After the Arab conquest, it remained the liturgical and scholarly language of Zoroastrian communities in Iran and India (Parsis). The Pahlavi script is a logographic-and-Aramaic-derived system notoriously difficult to read because of huzvarishn (Aramaic heterograms read as Persian words). Major texts include the Denkard, Bundahishn and Zoroastrian Pahlavi commentaries.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Middle Persian (Pahlavi)
Water
𐭠𐭯
/aːb/
Fire
𐭠𐭲𐭱
/aːtaʃ/
Sun
𐭧𐭥𐭫𐭱𐭩𐭲
/xwarʃeːd/
Moon
𐭬𐭠𐭧
/maːh/
Mother
𐭬𐭠𐭲𐭫
/maːdar/
Father
𐭯𐭩𐭲𐭫
/pidar/
Eat
𐭧𐭥𐭫𐭲𐭭
/xwardan/
Drink
𐭭𐭥𐭱𐭩𐭲𐭭
/noːʃiːdan/
Love
𐭲𐭥𐭱𐭩
/doːʃiː/
Heart
𐭣𐭩𐭫
/dil/
Tree
𐭣𐭫𐭧𐭲
/draxt/
House
𐭧𐭠𐭭𐭪
/xaːnaɡ/
Dog
𐭮𐭢
/saɡ/
Cat
𐭢𐭥𐭫𐭡𐭢
/ɡurbaɡ/
Hand
𐭣𐭮𐭲
/dast/
Eye
𐭰𐭱𐭬
/tʃaʃm/
Hello
𐭣𐭫𐭥𐭲
/droːd/
Thank you
𐭮𐭯𐭠𐭮
/spaːs/
One
𐭠𐭩𐭪
/eːk/
Good
𐭥𐭩𐭧
/weh/
Sources
- MacKenzie (1971) A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary
- Skjærvø — Introduction to Pahlavi
- Glottolog: pahl1241
- Ethnologue: pal
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Iranian, Middle, Southwestern) languages
| Meaning | Middle Persian (Pahlavi) | Persian (Classical) | Parthian | Dari | Persian | Sogdian | Tajik |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 𐭠𐭯 /aːb/ | آب /aːb/ | āb /aːb/ | آب /ɑːb/ | آب /ɒːb/ | ʾāp /aːp/ | об /ob/ |
| Fire | 𐭠𐭲𐭱 /aːtaʃ/ | آتش /aːtaʃ/ | ādar /aːdar/ | آتش /ɑːtaʃ/ | آتش /ɒːteʃ/ | ʾātar /aːtar/ | оташ /otaʃ/ |
| Sun | 𐭧𐭥𐭫𐭱𐭩𐭲 /xwarʃeːd/ | خورشید /xʷarʃeːd/ | xwar /xwar/ | خورشید /xoɾʃed/ | خورشید /xorʃiːd/ | xwr /xwar/ | офтоб /oftob/ |
| Moon | 𐭬𐭠𐭧 /maːh/ | ماه /maːh/ | māh /maːh/ | ماه /mɑːh/ | ماه /mɒːh/ | mʾx /maːx/ | моҳ /moh/ |
| Mother | 𐭬𐭠𐭲𐭫 /maːdar/ | مادر /maːdar/ | mād /maːd/ | مادر /mɑːdaɾ/ | مادر /mɒːdær/ | mʾtr /maːtar/ | модар /modar/ |
| Father | 𐭯𐭩𐭲𐭫 /pidar/ | پدر /pidar/ | pid /pid/ | پدر /padaɾ/ | پدر /pedær/ | ptr /pitar/ | падар /padar/ |
| Eat | 𐭧𐭥𐭫𐭲𐭭 /xwardan/ | خوردن /xʷurdan/ | xward- /xward/ | خوردن /xoɾdan/ | خوردن /xordæn/ | xwartan /xwartan/ | хӯрдан /xʉːrdan/ |
| Drink | 𐭭𐭥𐭱𐭩𐭲𐭭 /noːʃiːdan/ | آشامیدن /aːʃaːmiːdan/ | pī- /piː/ | نوشیدن /noʃidan/ | نوشیدن /nuːʃiːdæn/ | pi- /pi/ | нӯшидан /nʉːʃidan/ |
| Love | 𐭲𐭥𐭱𐭩 /doːʃiː/ | عشق /ʔiʃq/ | friyādan /frijaːdan/ | عشق /eʃq/ | عشق /eʃq/ | frytk /friːtak/ | ишқ /iʃq/ |
| Heart | 𐭣𐭩𐭫 /dil/ | دل /dil/ | zyrd /zird/ | دل /dil/ | دل /del/ | dyl /dil/ | дил /dil/ |
| Tree | 𐭣𐭫𐭧𐭲 /draxt/ | درخت /diraxt/ | dār /daːr/ | درخت /daɾaxt/ | درخت /deræxt/ | drxt /draxt/ | дарахт /daraxt/ |
| House | 𐭧𐭠𐭭𐭪 /xaːnaɡ/ | خانه /xaːna/ | xānag /xaːnaɡ/ | خانه /xɑːna/ | خانه /xɒːne/ | kṯʾk /kaθaːk/ | хона /xona/ |
| Dog | 𐭮𐭢 /saɡ/ | سگ /saɡ/ | spag /spaɡ/ | سگ /saɡ/ | سگ /sæɡ/ | ʾkw /aːkuː/ | саг /saɡ/ |
| Cat | 𐭢𐭥𐭫𐭡𐭢 /ɡurbaɡ/ | گربه /ɡurba/ | — /—/ | پشک /puʃak/ | گربه /ɡorbe/ | — /—/ | гурба /ɡurba/ |
| Hand | 𐭣𐭮𐭲 /dast/ | دست /dast/ | dast /dast/ | دست /dast/ | دست /dæst/ | dst /dast/ | даст /dast/ |
| Eye | 𐭰𐭱𐭬 /tʃaʃm/ | چشم /t͡ʃaʃm/ | čašm /tʃaʃm/ | چشم /t͡ʃaʃm/ | چشم /t͡ʃeʃm/ | cšm /tʃaʃm/ | чашм /tʃaʃm/ |
| Hello | 𐭣𐭫𐭥𐭲 /droːd/ | درود /duruːd/ | drōd /droːd/ | سلام /salɑːm/ | درود /doruːd/ | drwd /druːd/ | салом /salom/ |
| Thank you | 𐭮𐭯𐭠𐭮 /spaːs/ | سپاس /sipaːs/ | spās /spaːs/ | تشکر /taʃakkoɾ/ | سپاس /sepɒːs/ | — /—/ | раҳмат /rahmat/ |
| One | 𐭠𐭩𐭪 /eːk/ | یک /jak/ | ēw /eːw/ | یک /jak/ | یک /jek/ | yw /jɛw/ | як /jak/ |
| Good | 𐭥𐭩𐭧 /weh/ | نیک /neːk/ | nēw /neːw/ | خوب /xob/ | خوب /xuːb/ | nyk /neːk/ | хуб /xub/ |
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