Ways to say it
| Pashto | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ارمغان | armaǧãn | masculine |
| بخشش | baxšᶕš | masculine |
| تارتوک | tārtúk | masculine |
| تحفه | tohfá | feminine |
| هديه | hadya | feminine |
| پېشکش | peškaš | masculine |
A gift is something given to another voluntarily, without charge. While several words exist, they carry different nuances: ارمغان can feel more poetic or literary, while بخشش is most commonly used to mean 'forgiveness' or 'pardon'.
Which one should you use?
ارمغان can feel more poetic or literary. In contrast, تحفه is often used for a formal gift or a souvenir. For a polite, often religious or formal term for a gift or an offering, use هديه. Finally, پېشکش is used in highly formal or respectful contexts to describe a gift or an offering presented to someone of higher status.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
پېشکش is used in highly formal or respectful contexts. تحفه and هديه are also used in formal or polite settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word هديه is a feminine noun and requires feminine grammatical agreement.
How do you pronounce it?
armaǧãn
Did you know?
- In Pashto, the act of pardoning a sin is viewed as the ultimate gift, which is why بخشش means both 'gift' and 'forgiveness'.
- Using the word پېشکش when presenting a gift is typically accompanied by holding the item with both hands to show deep respect.
- The poetic word ارمغان is frequently used in Pashto poetry to describe a 'gift of longing' or a message brought by a lover, rather than a physical object.
Examples in context
- دا یو ښایسته ارمغان دی.da yo khayasta armaghan day.This is a beautiful gift.
Example conversation
Zala gives a present to Khan for his birthday.
- زالا Zalaخان، دا ستاسو لپاره ارمغان دی.Khan, da staso lapara armaghan day.Khan, this is a gift for you.
- خان Khanډېره مننه، زالا! دا څه دي؟Dera manana, Zala! Da tsa dee?Thank you so much, Zala! What is this?
- زالا Zalaدا یو کوچنی ارمغان دی.Da yaw kouchani armaghan day.It is a small gift.
- خان Khanتاسو ډېره مهربانه یاست.Taso dera mehrabana yast.You are very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gift” translations and entries هديه, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
