کوهکن

Persian

Etymology

کوه (kuh, “mountain”) +‎ کن (kan, present stem of کندن (kandan, “to dig”)).

In the medieval romance Khosrow and Shirin, the heroine Shirin tells Farhad that she will accept his love if he can achieve the impossible feat of cutting a hole through a mountain for her. He accomplishes this difficult feat, but Shirin's husband Khosrow lies to him that Shirin has died in the meantime, driving him to commit suicide.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [koːh.ˈkan]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰoːɦ.kʰǽn]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰoːɦ.kʰǽn]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰoː.kʰǽn]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰʊː.kʰǽn]

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

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰɵh.kʰǽn]

Readings
Classical reading?	kōhkan
Dari reading?	kōhkan
Iranian reading?	kuhkan
Tajik reading?	kühkan

Proper noun

کوهکن • (kuhkan)

1. (poetic, Iranian mythology) "Digger of Mountains": an epithet of فرهاد (farhâd).
2. a surname, Kuhkan