ښه
ẍë/xə/
The Pashto word for "good" is ښه (ẍë).
The word ښه is an adjective meaning "pleasant" or "enjoyable". Beyond its use as an adjective, it is frequently used as an informal interjection to mean "okay" or "fine" when you are agreeing to something.
Meaning: pleasant, enjoyable (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective ښه is invariable. This means it does not change its form to match the gender or the number of the noun it is describing.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ẍë. The IPA is /xə/.
Did you know?
- The phonetic realization of the initial letter in ښه can vary significantly between Eastern and Western Pashto dialects, sounding more like a soft 'sh' or a guttural 'kh' depending on the speaker.
- In some regions, repeating the word as ښه ښه (khë khë) can change the tone from simple agreement to an expression of genuine enthusiasm or encouragement.
- In many Pashto dialects, saying ښه as an interjection is often accompanied by a slight, single nod of the head to signal complete agreement.
Examples in context
- دا ډېر ښه وخت دی.da der kha wakht dai.This is a very good time.
- هغه یو ښه کتاب دی.hagha yo kha kitab dai.That is a good book.
- دا ډېر ښه ځای دی.da der kha zay dai.This is a very good place.
Example conversation
Zalmay and Zala are talking about a movie they watched.
- زلمای Zalmayفلم څنګه و؟Film sanga wo?How was the movie?
- زالا Zalaفلم ډېر ښه و.Film der kha wo.The movie was very good.
- زلمای Zalmayتاسو ته کومه برخه خوښه شوه؟Taso ta koma barkha khwakha shwa?Which part did you like?
- زالا Zalaد هغه پایل ښه و.Da haghay payal kha wo.The ending was good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good” translations and entries ښه, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
