Unwritten Short Vowels
Three small marks, called زبر, زیر and پیش, can show them, and you see the marks in dictionaries and in books that teach reading.
How It Works
Dari has three short vowels: a, i and u. Ordinary writing leaves them out, so a reader must know the word.
| Written | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| کتاب | kitāb | book |
| گل | gul | flower |
| دست | dast | hand |
Three small marks can show a short vowel. زبر (zabar) is a slash above the letter and sounds like a. زیر (zēr) is a slash below the letter and sounds like i. پیش (pēsh) is a tiny curl above the letter and sounds like u. Dictionaries and books that teach reading use them. Ordinary Dari text does not.
Long vowels do have a letter, so کتاب shows its ā. When you meet a new word, listen to it first and learn its vowels along with its letters.
Examples (5)
- این کتاب است.
This is a book.
The letters show k-t-ā-b. You say kitāb, with a short i that is not written.
- دست من سرد است.
My hand is cold.
دست is dast, with a short a that is not written.
- گل مقبول است.
The flower is pretty.
گل is gul, with a short u that is not written.
- پیاله پر است.
The cup is full.
Here پر is pur, with a short u. It means full.
- پر مرغ سفید است.
The chicken's feather is white.
Here پر is par, with a short a. It means feather. The same letters make two different words.
Common Mistakes
Writing a vowel mark in everyday text.
کِتاب من خوب است.کتاب من خوب است.Ordinary Dari leaves the marks out. Write only the letters, and learn the vowel with the word.
Adding a letter for a short vowel.
کیتاب من خوب است.کتاب من خوب است.The short i in kitāb has no letter. The letter ی is for the long ī and ē.
Related Patterns
- The Sounds of و and ی
و and ی are the letters that show long vowels, and each has three sounds.
Foundations - Letters That Join and Letters That Stay Apart
Letters change shape and join, but they still show only part of the word.
Foundations - Dari and Iranian Persian
Dari and Iranian Persian write the same letters and sound some vowels differently.
Foundations - Reading From Right to Left
Read the letters from right to left, then say the vowels you know.
Foundations
Practice Unwritten Short Vowels in Bubblegum
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