Making Nouns With ـی and ـش

Level 5

A word that ends in a silent ه swaps it for ـگی: خسته becomes خستگی.

How It Works

Newspapers and books turn qualities and actions into nouns, so these two endings fill every page. Learn the word pairs, and the pattern follows.

ـی joins an adjective and names its quality: مهربان (kind) becomes مهربانی (kindness). After a silent ه, the ه changes to ـگی: ساده becomes سادگی, and خسته becomes خستگی.

ـش joins a present stem, the part you see after می‌ in می‌دانم (see Present Stems). It names the act or its result: دان becomes دانش (knowledge). After a stem that ends in ا, a ی comes in first: افزا becomes افزایش.

WordNew nounMeaning
خوبخوبیgoodness
مهربانمهربانیkindness
خستهخستگیtiredness
داندانشknowledge
کوشکوششeffort
پژوهپژوهشresearch
افزاافزایشincrease
کاهکاهشdecrease

The new word is a noun like any other. It takes ezafe and را: افزایش قیمت‌ها (the rise in prices). Not every stem has a ـش noun in daily use, so check a new one in a dictionary before you make it.

Examples (5)

  1. افزایش شمار شاگردان مکتب‌های هرات خبر خوبی است.

    The rise in the number of students in Herat's schools is good news.

    افزایش comes from the stem افزا, and ـش makes it the noun increase.

  2. دانش را باید با کوشش به دست آورد.

    Knowledge has to be gained with effort.

    Two ـش nouns in one sentence: دانش from دان, and کوشش from کوش.

  3. همه مهربانی او را دوست دارند.

    Everyone loves her kindness.

    ـی turns the adjective مهربان into the noun مهربانی, and را marks it as the object.

  4. چای داغ خستگی سفر را از بین برد.

    The hot tea took away the tiredness from the trip.

    خسته ends in a silent ه, so ـی becomes ـگی: خستگی.

  5. پژوهش دانشمندان نشان می‌دهد که خواب کافی برای صحت مهم است.

    Scientists' research shows that enough sleep matters for health.

    پژوهش is built on the stem پژوه and names the act of researching.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding ـی to a word that ends in a silent ه.

    خسته‌ی سفر از بین رفت.
    خستگی سفر از بین رفت.

    After a silent ه the ending is ـگی, so خسته becomes خستگی.

  • Adding ـگی to a word that ends in a consonant.

    همه مهربانگی او را دوست دارند.
    همه مهربانی او را دوست دارند.

    ـگی is only for words that end in a silent ه, like خسته. مهربان ends in a consonant, so it takes ـی.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Making Nouns With ـی and ـشLevel 5

Learn This First

Both endings are added to the stem to make a noun.