ـی

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian -yk' / 𐭩𐭪𐭩 (-īg) and Arabic ـِيّ (-iyy).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [iː]

Suffix

ـی • (-i)

1. Forms adjectives from nouns.

   تهران (Tehrân, “Tehran”) + ـی (-i) = تهرانی (Tehrâni, “Tehrani”)

   خورشید (xoršid, “sun”) + ـی (-i) = خورشیدی (xoršidi, “solar”)

2. Forms surnames.

Usage notes

ـی is the form that follows words ending in consonants. Adjectives ending in the short vowel ـه (-e) will use the form ـگی (-egi) for their derived nouns, while nouns ending in ـه (-e) will usually add the non-joining ای (-i) to form their derived adjectives. Both nouns and adjectives ending in the long vowels ـا (-â) and ـو (-u) will use the form یی (-yi)

As a derivational suffix, ـی and the above-mentioned alternative forms take the stress in a word, as in خورشیدی (xoršidí, “solar”). As the marked indefinite or relative definite suffix, the stress remains on the root of the word, as in خورشیدی (xoršídi, “a sun / the sun which”)

Most Persian surnames end in this suffix.

See also

• Category:Persian words suffixed with ـی

Etymology 2

From Middle Persian 𐭩𐭧 (-īh).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [iː]

Suffix

ـی • (-i)

1. Forms abstract nouns from adjectives.

   بزرگ (bozorg, “big”) + ـی (-i) = بزرگی (bozorgi, “bigness”)

   شیرین (širin, “sweet”) + ـی (-i) = شیرینی (širini, “sweetness”)

   جوان (javân, “young”) + ـی (-i) = جوانی (javâni, “youth”)

Etymology 3

From Middle Persian 𐭸 (ē(w)).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian, Dari) IPA^(key): [eː]
• (Iranian Persian) IPA^(key): [iː]

Suffix

Dari	ـی
Iranian Persian	ـی
Tajik	-е (-e)

ـی • (-ê)

1. a, one