Ways to say it
| Persian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| نَماز | namâz |
| دُعا | do'â |
| صَلات | salât |
In Persian, the way you express prayer depends on whether you are referring to a specific religious ritual or a general act of communicating with God. To say one is 'performing' the ritual prayer, use the collocation نَماز خواندَن. To say one is 'making a prayer' or 'supplicating', use the collocation دُعا کردَن.
Which one should you use?
The word نَماز specifically refers to the formal, ritualized Islamic prayer that involves specific physical postures and recitations. In contrast, دُعا refers to the act of making a request or supplication to God. This is a more general term that can be informal and does not require specific ritual postures. صَلات is an Arabic-derived term for the formal ritual prayer and is used more frequently in formal religious contexts or theological discussions than نَماز.
How do you pronounce it?
namâz
Did you know?
- The word نَماز is the linguistic ancestor of the word 'namaz' used in Urdu, Turkish, and Punjabi, reflecting the historical spread of Persian culture across Central and South Asia.
- While نَماز is the standard term for ritual prayer, the verb used with it is خواندَن, which literally means 'to read' or 'to sing'. Instead of 'performing' a prayer, a Persian speaker is figuratively 'reading' it.
- If you want to tell a friend 'you are in my prayers', a natural way to say it is دُعاتم, which literally translates to 'my prayer'.
Examples in context
- او وقت نَماز را بسیار رعایت می‌کند.u vaqt-e namāz rā besyār ra'āyat mikonad.He observes the time for prayer very strictly.
- نَماز در آرامش انجام می‌شود.namāz dar ārāmesh anjām mishavad.Prayer is performed in tranquility.
- او برای نَماز صبح زود بیدار شد.u barāye namāz-e sobh zud bidār shod.She woke up early for the morning prayer.
Example conversation
Niloofar and Amir are at home in the afternoon.
- نیلوفر Niloufarامیر، وقت نَماز است.Amir, vaqt-e namāz ast.Amir, it is time for prayer.
- امیر Amirبله، من هم همین الآن می‌روم.Bale, man ham hamīn al'ān mīravam.Yes, I am going right now.
- نیلوفر Niloufarمی‌خواهیم با هم نَماز بخوانیم؟Mīkhvāhīm bā ham namāz bekhvānīm?Do we want to pray together?
- امیر Amirبله، نیلوفر، این ایده خوبی است.Bale, Niloufar, īn ide-ye khūbī ast.Yes, Niloofar, that is a good idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “prayer” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
