ښکلی
x̌kúlay/ˈʂkwə.lai/
The Pashto word for handsome is ښکلی (x̌kúlay).
The word is an adjective used to describe an attractive man. To say 'he is handsome', you use the phrase ښکلی دی.
Meaning: of man: attractive (adj)
Which one should you use?
The form ښکلی is specifically used when describing a single male person. For a single female, use the feminine form ښکلې and for a group, use the plural form ښکلي.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes its ending based on the gender and number of the person being described: use ښکلی for a masculine singular subject, ښکلې for a feminine singular subject and ښکلي for plural subjects.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is x̌kúlay. The stress is on the first of the two syllables.
Did you know?
- The word ښکلی shares a linguistic ancestor with the English word 'shape' via the long history of loanwords moving between Arabic, Persian and European languages.
- While ښکلی describes physical beauty, Pashto speakers often use it to describe a 'beautiful' or 'well-crafted' piece of poetry or a song.
- In some Pashto dialects, the pronunciation of the first letter ښ can shift between a 'sh' sound and a 'kh' sound depending on the region.
Examples in context
- دا ښکلی زلمی دی.da khkuli zalmay day.This is a handsome young man.
- تاسو ډېر ښکلی ښکاري.taso der khkuli khkari.You look very handsome.
Example conversation
Maryam is talking about a friend to Zalmay.
- زلمای Zalmayدا څوک دی؟Da tsok day?Who is this?
- مریم Maryamدا زما ملګری دی، هغه ډېر ښکلی دی.Da zma malgari day, hagha der khkuli day.This is my friend, he is very handsome.
- زلمای Zalmayهو، هغه رښتیا هم ښکلی ښکاري.Ho, hagha rishtya ham khkuli khkari.Yes, he really does look handsome.
- مریم Maryamمننه، زلمای.Manana, Zalmay.Thank you, Zalmay.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ښکلی, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
