لیکن

Persian

Alternative forms

• لاکن (lâken)

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic لٰكِنْ (lākin, “but”) (with the long vowel shifted by imāla).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [leː.ˈkin]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [leː.kʰɪ́n]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [leː.kʰɪ́n]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [leː.kʰɪ́n]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [li.kʰín]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [liː.kʰʲǽn], [liː.kʰʲén]

Readings
Classical reading?	lēkin
Dari reading?	lēkin
Iranian reading?	likan, liken

• Audio (Iran):

  (file)

Conjunction

Dari	اما,مگر
Iranian Persian	ولی
Tajik	аммо

لیکن • (likan)

1. (Dari or dated) but, however

   Synonyms: مگر (magar), ولی (vali), اما (ammâ)

   • c. 1911, Mohammad Hossein Âğuli Torki-ye Shirâzi, دیوان ترکی شیرازی‎^[1]:

     عشق در عالم معنی ست نهالی شاداب
     خوش نهالی ست و لیکن ثمرش جز غم نیست

     ešq dar âlam ma'ni-st nahâli šâdâb
     xoš nahâli-st va likan samr-aš joz ğam nist

     The meaning of love in the world is a well-watered sapling;
     It is a pretty sapling, but its fruit is naught but grief.

2. (Dari or dated) only

   Synonym: تنها (tanhâ)

Punjabi

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian لیکن (lekin), from Arabic لٰكِنْ (lākin).

Conjunction

لیکن • (lekin, lekan) (Gurmukhi spelling ਲੇਕਿਨ)

1. but

   Synonyms: مگر (magar), پر (par)

2. however

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian لیکن (lekin), from Arabic لٰكِنْ (lākin).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /leː.kɪn/
• Rhymes: -ɪn

Conjunction

لیکن • (lekin) (Hindi spelling लेकिन)

1. but
2. except

Synonyms

• مگر (magar)
• پر (par)

References

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