şîr
/ʃiːɾ/masculine
The English word "milk" is translated into Kurdish as şîr. Wiktionary also lists شیر (şîr).
Meaning: liquid (noun)
Ways to say it
| Kurdish | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| şîr | /ʃiːɾ/ | masculine | |
| شیر | şîr | /ʃiːɾ/ |
The word şîr refers to the liquid. It is also a related form to the verb doşîn, which means to express any liquid or specifically to milk a mammal.
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context, the word şîr is a homonym that can mean either "milk" or "lion".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word şîr is a masculine noun. When you use it in a possessive or construct state, such as when saying "the milk of…", it often changes to the form şîrî.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃiːɾ/
Did you know?
- Because şîr means both 'milk' and 'lion', Kurdish poetry often uses this word to create puns or double meanings.
- The word şîr shares the exact same spelling and sound for both the life-giving liquid 'milk' and the predatory 'lion'.
- The term şîr descends from the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *kšiHrám, making it a very ancient word in the Indo-European language family.
Examples in context
- کەمێک شیری تێ بکە.Add a little milk.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use the form شیر.Tatoeba #10123370 by Sarchia, translation #19454 by CK
- بڕێک شیرم بۆ بێنە.Bring me some milk.Tatoeba #10511981 by Sarchia, translation #10043377 by ddnktr
- چەند شیر لەوێ ماوە؟How much milk is there left?Tatoeba #10365827 by Sarchia, translation #3731785 by CM
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rojda and Soran are in the kitchen in the morning.
- Rojdaبۆ من کەمێک şîr بهێنە.Bring me some milk.
- Soranئایا şîr لە ناو سەلاجەدا هەیە؟Is there milk in the fridge?
- Rojdaنە، دەبێت şîr بکڕین.No, we must buy milk.
- Soranباشە، من بۆت دەکڕم.Okay, I will buy it for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “milk” translations and entries şîr, شیر, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries şîr, شیر, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
