په مخه مو ښه
pə məkha mo kha
Goodbye in Pashto is expressed as په مخه مو ښه (pə məkha mo kha).
په مخه مو ښه is a way to say goodbye, often used as a formal or polite way to say goodbye when leaving a group or showing respect to an individual.
Meaning: farewell (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'may your face be good'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on who you are addressing. The form په مخه مو ښه uses مو (mo) for the plural or polite form, but it changes to په مخه دې ښه (using دې instead of مو) when addressing one person informally.
How do you pronounce it?
pə məkha mo kha
Did you know?
- A formal goodbye ceremony in Pashto culture can actually become a lengthy exchange of reciprocal blessings that lasts several minutes.
- Using the informal version په مخه دې ښه with a stranger or an elder is not just casual but can be seen as a serious social insult.
- The word مخه usually means 'face' but in the poetry of the region it can represent a person's 'honor' or 'presence'.
Examples in context
- ډېره مننه، په مخه مو ښه.dera manana, pa makha mo kha.Thank you very much, goodbye.
Example conversation
A woman is leaving a small shop after a conversation with the owner.
- زركولہ Zarkolaخان صیب، ډېره مننه.Khan saib, dera manana.Mr. Khan, thank you very much.
- خان Khanډېره مننه، زركولہ خور.Dera manana, Zarkula khor.Thank you very much, sister Zarkula.
- زركولہ Zarkolaپه مخه مو ښه.pa makha mo kha.Goodbye.
- خان Khanپه امان.pa aman.Go with peace (Goodbye).
