خواب

See also: جواب

Persian

Etymology

From Middle Persian 𐭧𐭥𐭠𐭡 (hwʾb /⁠xwāb⁠/), from Proto-Iranian *hwápati, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *swap-, from Proto-Indo-European *swep- (“to dream”). Compare Northern Kurdish xew, xewn, Russian спать (spatʹ), and Ancient Greek ὕπνος (húpnos, “sleep”), whence hypnosis.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [xʷɑːβ]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [xɑːb]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [xɑːb]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [xäw]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [xäw], [xeːw]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [xɒːb̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [χɔb]

Readings
Classical reading?	xwāḇ
Dari reading?	xāb
Iranian reading?	xâb
Tajik reading?	xob

Noun

Dari	خواب
Iranian Persian
Tajik	хоб

خواب • (xâb)

1. sleep
   • c. 1390, Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfiẓ, “Ghazal 26”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Ḥāfiẓ]‎^[1]:

     سر فرا گوش من آورد، به آواز حزین
     گفت: ای عاشق دیرینه من خوابت هست؟

     sar farâ gôš-i man âward ba âwâz-i hazîn
     guft ay âšiq-i dêrîna-yi man xwâb-at hast?

     He brought his head close to my ear and, in a plaintive voice,
     Said, "Hey, old-time lover of mine, are you asleep [lit. is sleep upon you]?"

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

   • c. 1390, Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfiẓ, “Ghazal 464”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Ḥāfiẓ]‎^[2]:

     چون من خیال رویت جانا به خواب بینم
     کز خواب می‌نبیند چشمم به جز خیالی

     čôn man xayâl-i rôy-at jân-â ba xwâb bênam
     k-az xwâb mê-na-bênad čašm-am ba juz xayâlê

     My love, how can I glimpse your face in dreams
     When my eyes cannot get but a single glimpse of sleep?

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

   • c. 1720, 'Abd al-Qādir Bēdil, دیوان بیدل [The Divān of Bēdil]:

     بیداری میان دو خواب است هستیم
     گرد تخیل دو سراب است هستیم

     bîdârî-yi miyân-i dô xwâb ast hastêm
     gard-i taxayyul-i dô sarâb ast hastêm

     There is wakefulness between two slumbers; that is us;
     There is the dust of fancies between two mirages; that is us.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

2. dream

   Synonym: رؤیا (ro'yâ)

   • c. 930, Rōdakī, دیوان رودکی [The Divān of Rōdakī]:

     این جهان پاک خواب کردار است
     آن شناسد که دلش بیدار است

     în jahân pâk xwâb kirdâr ast
     ân šinâsad ki dil-aš bidâr ast

     This world acts wholly like a dream;
     He whose heart is awake shall realize it.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

   • c. 1185, Shihāb al-Dīn Suhrawardī, پرتونامه [The Book of Illumination]:

     رئیس طبیعی شود عالم را، و او را از عالم اعلا نصرت رسد و سخن او در عالم علوی مسموع باشد، و خواب و الهام او به کمال رسد.

     ra'îs-i tabî'î šawad âlim râ, u ô râ az âlim-i a'lâ nusrat rasad o suxan-i ô dar âlim-i ulwî masmû' bâšad, u xwâb u ilhâm-i ô ba kamâl rasad.

     He shall become the natural ruler of the world; succor shall come to him from the sublime world, and his word shall be obeyed in the celestial world; his dreams and inspirations shall reach perfection.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

   • c. 1390, Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfiẓ, “Ghazal 464”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Ḥāfiẓ]‎^[3]:

     چون من خیال رویت جانا به خواب بینم
     کز خواب می‌نبیند چشمم به جز خیالی

     čôn man xayâl-i rôy-at jân-â ba xwâb bênam
     k-az xwâb mê-na-bênad čašm-am ba juz xayâlê

     My love, how can I glimpse your face in dreams
     When my eyes cannot get but a single glimpse of sleep?

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

Derived terms

verbs

• به خواب رفتن (be xâb raftan, “to go to sleep”)
• خواب آمدن (xâb âmadan, “to feel sleepy”)
• خواب از سر پریدن (xâb az sar paridan, “to awaken suddenly”)
• خواب بردن (xâb bordan, “to fall asleep”)
• خواب دیدن (xâb didan, “to dream”)
• خوابیدن (xâbidan, “to sleep”)

 

others

• تختخواب (taxtexâb, “bed”)
• خوابگاه (xâbgâh, “dormitory”)
• خوابیده (xâbide)
• رختخواب (raxtexâb, “bedroll”)

 

Related terms

• خفتن (xoftan, “to sleep”)

 

Descendants

• → Bengali: খোয়াব (khwab), খোওয়াব (khowab), খ্বাব (khwab)
• → Hindustani: xvāb, xāb, khāb

  Hindi: ख़्वाब, ख़ाब, खाब

  Urdu: خواب

Adjective

خواب • (xâb)

1. asleep

Sindhi

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian خْوَاب (xwāb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [xʊvaːbʊ]

Noun

خواب • (xuvābu) m (Devanagari ख़ुवाबु)

1. dream

References

• “خواب”, in Sindhi-English Dictionary, University of Chicago: Center for Language Engineering, Pakistan, 1866-1938

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian خْوَاب (xwāb), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *swap-, from Proto-Indo-European *swep- (“to dream”). Doublet of سپنا (sapnā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /xʷɑːb/, [xɑːb]
• Rhymes: -ɑːb

Noun

خْوَاب • (xvāb) m (Hindi spelling ख़्वाब)

1. dream

   Synonyms: (rare) سپنا (sapnā), رؤیا (rū'yā)

2. sleep
3. vision, illusion
4. (figuratively) good news, glad tidings

Declension

Declension of خواب
	singular	plural
direct	خواب (xvāb)	خواب (xvāb)
oblique	خواب (xvāb)	خوابوں (xvābō̃)
vocative	خواب (xvāb)	خوابو (xvābō)

Related terms

Related terms

• خواب گاہ (xāb gāh or xvāb gāh, “bedroom”)
• خوابیدہ (xābidah or xvābidah, “asleep”)
• خواب دیکھنا (xāb dekhnā or xvāb dekhna, “to dream”)

Further reading

• “خواب”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “خواب”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
• Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971) “خواب”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary‎, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.