چه

See also: ـچه, جھ, چہ, and جه

Ottoman Turkish

Alternative forms

• چك (çek) — via French

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁-der.

Proto-Balto-Slavic *kelawaikas

Proto-Slavic *čelověkъ

Proto-Slavic *-xъ

Old Czech -ch

Old Czech Čech

Czech Čechbor.

Ottoman Turkish چه

Borrowed from Czech Čech.

Noun

چه • (çeh) (plural چهلر (çehler))

1. Bohemian; Czech (person)

Derived terms

• چهجه (çehce)
• چهستان (çehistan, “Czechia”)

Descendants

• Turkish: (dated) Çeh

References

• Kélékian, Diran (1911), “چه”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[1] (in French), 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

Compare چی (či).

Alternative forms

• چی (či, chiefly colloquial)

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃi/

 

• (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]

• Rhymes: -i

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

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?

Descendants

• Judeo-Tat: cy

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): /ˈt͡ʃah/

 

• (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]

• Rhymes: -ah

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