Ways to say it
| Persian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| خْوَرْشِید | xwaršīd | ||
| آفْتَاب | āftāb | ||
| شَمْس | šams | ||
| هور | hōr | /ˈhoːr/ (Classical Persian) | |
| خْوَر | xwar | ||
| خورْشِید | xōršīd | ||
| اَفْتَو | aftaw | colloquial | |
| خور | xōr | /ˈxʷar/ (Classical Persian) /ˈxur/ (Classical Persian) |
|
| خورْشید | xoršid | ||
| آفْتاب | âftâb |
The term for the star around which the Earth revolves can be expressed using several different words depending on whether you are referring to the celestial body itself or the light and warmth it provides. While خورشید refers to the celestial body, آفْتَاب is more commonly used to refer to the sunlight or the warmth provided by the sun.
Which one should you use?
خورشید (and its variants like خْوَرْشِید, خورْشید, خورْشید, خُورْشِید, خُورْشید or خُورْشید) refers to the celestial body. In contrast, آفْتَاب (and its variant آفْتاب) is often used to describe the sunlight or the warmth provided by the sun. اَفْتَو is a colloquial variation of آفْتَاب.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
خورشید is a common and standard formal term for sun in Persian. شَمْس is a formal or literary term, often used in poetry or scientific contexts, derived from Arabic. اَفْتَو is a colloquial or dialectal variation of آفتاب used in certain spoken registers.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
xwaršīd
Did you know?
- The word خورشید is closely linked to the ancient Persian god of the sun and light, reflecting a deep historical connection between the language and Zoroastrianism.
- While آفْتَاب refers to the sun, it is also used as an adjective to describe a sunny room or a bright spot in a house.
- The words هور and خور are doublets, meaning they both come from the same ancestral root but entered the language through different paths.
Examples in context
- امروز خورشید می درخشد.The sun is shining today.This sentence uses خور to describe the sun shining.Tatoeba #3366546 by reto, translation #7783921 by shayan
- زمین دور خورشید می‌چرخد.The earth orbits the sun.This sentence uses خور to describe the Earth orbiting the sun.Tatoeba #12176620 by cojiluc, translation #10589671 by CK
- زمین دور خورشید می چرخد.Earth orbits the Sun.Tatoeba #12881835 by manelie, translation #7881332 by Amastan
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sun” translations and entries هور, خور, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries هور, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
