ضيا
zeyãfeminine
The English word 'light' is translated into Pashto as ضيا (zeyã). Wiktionary also lists روښنايي (rox̌nāyí) and روڼايي (rūṇāyí).
Meaning: visible light, brightness (noun)
Ways to say it
| Pashto | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ضيا | zeyã | feminine |
| روښنايي | rox̌nāyí | feminine |
| روڼايي | rūṇāyí | feminine |
In Pashto, several words are used to describe light depending on whether you are discussing the scientific phenomenon or the general state of brightness in a room.
Which one should you use?
ضيا is the technical or formal term used to describe light as a physical phenomenon or electromagnetic radiation. In contrast, روښنايي is the most common way to refer to the presence of light or the general state of brightness in an area.
Is it said differently in some regions?
روڼايي is a dialectal variation of روښنايي found in certain Pashto-speaking regions.
How does it change in a sentence?
The forms ضيا and روښنايي are grammatically feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
zeyã
Did you know?
- While English uses 'light' for both weight and illumination, Pashto uses entirely different roots for 'light' (as in brightness) and 'light' (as in weight).
- In some regional dialects, the word for 'light' is closely linked to the word for 'white', treating luminosity as a shade of color.
- In Pashto poetry, ضيا is often used metaphorically to refer to divine guidance or the light of truth rather than physical radiation.
Example sentences for Pashto are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Zalmay and Zarkola are discussing a scientific experiment.
- زلمای Zalmayدا ضيا څنګه کار کوي؟da ziya sanga kar kawi?How does this light work?
- زركولہ Zarkolaدا د یو ځانګړي فلز ضيا ده.da da yo zangari falaz ziya da.This is the light of a specific metal.
- زلمای Zalmayآیا دا ډېر تېز دی؟aya da der tez day?Is it very fast?
- زركولہ Zarkolaهو، زلمای، دا ډېر تېز دی.ho, Zalmay, da der tez day.Yes, Zalmay, it is very fast.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “light” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
