Silav, tu çawa yî?
Silav, tu çawa yî? is how you say "hi, how are you?" in Kurdish.
This phrase is a common greeting used to say hello and ask about a person's well-being.
What does it mean word for word?
The word Silav literally means "greeting" or "peace".
Which one should you use?
The form tu çawa yî? is used for one person or when speaking to friends. In contrast, if you are speaking to multiple people or wish to show respect to a single person, you should use Hûn çawa ne?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase tu çawa yî? is the singular, informal form of "how are you?"
When do people say it?
When someone asks you Tu çawa yî?, a common response is Baş im, spas, which means "I am well, thanks".
Did you know?
- Kurdish is an Indo-European language, meaning it is more closely related to English than it is to Arabic, despite the word Silav coming from Arabic.
- In many Kurdish social settings, the phrase is often accompanied by a hand placed over the heart as a sign of sincerity and warmth.
- The word tu in 'tu çawa yî?' is a distant relative of the English word 'thou', as both descend from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European roots.
Examples in context
- Silav, tu çawa yî?Hi, how are you?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries silav, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
