افغان

See also: أفغان

Ottoman Turkish

Noun

افغان • (Afgan)

1. Afghan

Adjective

افغان • (Afgan)

1. Afghan

Pashto

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian اَفْغَان (afğān).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /afɣɑn/

Noun

افغان • (afǧān) m

1. Afghan

Declension

declension of افغان

	singular		plural
direct	افغان (afǧān)		افغانان (afǧānân)
oblique	افغان (afǧān)		افغانانو (afǧānâno)
vocative	افغانه (afǧāna)		افغانانو (afǧānâno)

Related terms

• افغانستان (afǧānistān)

Persian

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔaf.ˈɣɑːn]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔäf.ɣɑ́ːn]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔäf.ɣɑ́ːn]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔäv.ɣɑ́ːn]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔäv.ɣɔ́ːn]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔæf.ɢɒ́ːn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔäf.ʁɔ́n]

Readings
Classical reading?	afğān
Dari reading?	afğān
Iranian reading?	afğân
Tajik reading?	afġon

Etymology 1

From Bactrian αβαγανο (abagano), first attested in the fourth century CE, most likely a compound of *apāka- (“distant, faraway”) + [script needed] (-āna, “ethnic group”): "people from a distant land". The /b/ > /f/ shift represents a phonetic peculiarity of the Early New Persian dialect of Khorasan.

Noun

Dari	افغان
Iranian Persian
Tajik	афғон

افغان • (afğân) (plural افغان‌ها (afğân-hâ) or افاغنه (afâğene))

1. Afghan (A person from Afghanistan)
2. (historical) Pashtun

Derived terms

• افغانستان (afğânestân)
• افغانی (afğâni)

 

Etymology 2

From Sogdian [script needed] (ʾβγʾn /⁠əfɣaːn⁠/). Compare Middle Persian ʾbxwʾn- (abxwān-, “to call, cry”).

Alternative forms

• فغان (fağân)

Interjection

Dari	افغان
Iranian Persian
Tajik	афғон

افغان • (afğân)

1. alas
2. oh

Noun

افغان • (afğân)

1. lamentation, cry

   Synonyms: زاری (zâri), فریاد (faryâd)

Derived terms

• افغان برآوردن (afğân bar-âvardan)
• افغان برداشتن (afğân bar-dâštan)
• افغان برکشیدن (afğân bar-kešidan)
• افغان کردن (afğân kardan)

 

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian افغان (afğān).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /əf.ɣɑːn/
• Rhymes: -ɑːn
• Hyphenation: اَف‧غان

Noun

اَفْغان • (afġān) m (Hindi spelling अफ़्ग़ान)

1. Afghan; a person from Afghanistan
2. (historical) a person of Pashtun ethnicity

   Synonym: پَٹھان (paṭhān)

Related terms

• افغانستان (afġānistān)
• افغانی (afġānī)

References

• “افغان”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “افغان”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.