How to Say "Guilt" in Persian

احساس گناه

ehsas-e gonah

The English word "guilt" is translated into Persian as احساس گناه (ehsas-e gonah).

احساس گناه is used to describe the regret or remorse one feels for having done something wrong.

Meaning: regret for having done wrong (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of ehsas, meaning "feeling" and gonah, meaning "sin" or "crime".

This is a noun phrase where ehsas is modified by the genitive construction e gonah to mean "feeling of sin/guilt".

ehsas-e gonah

The word گناه is used in a common idiom گناهش به گردن من, which means 'the guilt/sin is on my neck' to take full responsibility.
The word for 'sin' in احساس گناه is related to the concept of 'perishing' or 'disappearing' in its ancient Indo-European roots.
The word احساس is an Arabic loanword, which is common in Persian for abstract emotional states, whereas the word for 'sin' is natively Iranian.

زندگی با احساس گناه ناشی از کاری که کرده بود، برای تام تقریبا غیر قابل تحمل بود.
Tom found living with the guilt for what he had done, almost unbearable.
This sentence is useful for seeing how to express living with the weight of guilt.
Tatoeba #3667571 by MCMC, translation #3667564 by patgfisher
ببخشید، احساس گناه دارم که تو را ناراحت کردم.
I'm sorry, I feel guilty for making you upset.
او همیشه با احساس گناه به خواب می‌رود.
u hamishe ba ehsāse gonāh be khāb miravad.
He always goes to sleep with a sense of guilt.

Two friends are talking about a mistake from the past.

نیلوفر Niloufar

علی، من هنوز احساس گناه دارم.
Ali, man hanuz ehsas-e gonah daram.
Ali, I still feel guilt.
علی Ali

دیگه بهش فکر نکن نیلوفر.
Dige behesh fekr nakon Niloufar.
Don't think about it anymore, Niloufar.
نیلوفر Niloufar

اما من واقعاً اشتباه کردم.
Ama man vaghean eshtebah kardam.
But I really made a mistake.
علی Ali

همه ما گاهی اشتباه می‌کنیم.
Hame ma gahi eshtebah mikonim.
We all make mistakes sometimes.

Sources

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