چه

See also: جھ, چہ, جه, and ـچه

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

From French Tchèque, from Czech Čech.

Proper noun

چه • (çeh)

1. Bohemia
2. Bohemian; Czech

Descendants

• Turkish: Çek

References

• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “چه”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[1], Constantinople: Mihran, page 482
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “چه”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[2], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 741

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian 𐭰𐭩 (čē, “what; because”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷis.

Alternative forms

• چی (či, chiefly colloquial)

Pronunciation

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

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰiː], [t͡ʃʰeː], [t͡ʃʰɪ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰiː], [t͡ʃʰeː], [t͡ʃʰɪ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰɪ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰi]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰe]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰi]

Readings
Classical reading?	či
Dari reading?	čī, čē, či
Iranian reading?	če
Tajik reading?	či

• Rhymes: -e

Pronoun

Dari	چه, چی
Iranian Persian	چی, چه
Tajik	чи

چه • (če) (plural چه‌ها)

1. (interrogative) what?

   چه دارید؟

   če dârid?

   What do you have?

Determiner

Dari	چه, چی
Iranian Persian	چی, چه
Tajik	чи

چه • (če)

1. (before a definite noun) what sort of...
2. (before an indefinite noun) what...

   چه کتابی پیدا کردی؟

   če ketâbi peydâ kardi?

   What book did you find?

3. (before an indefinite noun) what a... (exclamatory)

   به‌به! چه کتابی!

   bah bah! če ketâbi!

   Wow! What a book!

Adverb

Dari	چه, چی
Iranian Persian	چی, چه
Tajik	чи

چه • (če)

1. (before an adjective) how (exclamatory)

   شهر اصفهان چه زیباست!

   šahr-e esfahân če zibâ-st!

   How beautiful the city of Isfahan is!

Conjunction

چه • (če)

1. (rare) because

   Synonym: چون (čun)

Derived terms

• چطور (četowr, “how”)
• چه کسی (če kasi, “who”)
• چقدر (čeqadr, “how much”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

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

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰä]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰä]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰä]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰä]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰe]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰä]

Readings
Classical reading?	ča
Dari reading?	ča
Iranian reading?	če
Tajik reading?	ča

• Rhymes: -e

Suffix

Dari	ـچه
Iranian Persian
Tajik	-ча

ـچه • (-če)

1. Suffix which forms the diminutive.

Derived terms

Persian terms suffixed with چه

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

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

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰäʱ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰäʱ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰɑː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰɔː]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰæʱ]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [t͡ʃʰäʱ]

Readings
Classical reading?	čah
Dari reading?	čah
Iranian reading?	čah
Tajik reading?	čah

Noun

Dari	چه
Iranian Persian
Tajik	чаҳ

چه • (čah)

2. Alternative form of چاه (čâh, “well”)

Southwestern Fars

Noun

چه (ča)

1. (Masarm, Deh Sarv, Kuzarg) well, hole