Glossary
Unless otherwise stated, the glossary comprises key words and phrases used in the standard form of Persian/Farsi spoken in Afghanistan that has been referred to officially in the country as ‘Dari’ since 1958.Footnote 3
- amanat kardan
to entrust
- andiwal-e sahi
real friend
- anjoman
association
- ashak
pasta dumpling filled with gandana
- ashna
acquaintance
- ashpaz
chef
- ay khanum
sheets of dough interspersed with mincemeat
- badmash
criminals; thugs
- ba-farhang
cultured
- ba-sawad
educated
- bay’ al wafa
selling on faithfulness (Arabic)
- bewatan
stateless
- beinsaf
unjust
- bekar
without work
- billa aywaz
without replacement
- boja
relationship between men married to sisters
- brinj
rice
- buhran
crisis
- chainaki
lamb and chickpea stew slowly cooked in metal teapots
- chaykhana
teahouse
- chai-ye sabz
green tea
- dast-e khali
empty handed
- deg
cooking pot
- deg kardan
to cook
- dil tang
depressed
- dindar
religious
- duq
bored
- dost-e waqiyee
true friend
- dukandar
shopkeeper
- dosti; rafaqat
friendship
- ehtimad
trust
- ehtibar
trustable
- ishleki
a dish popular amongst Turkmen in Afghanistan comprising minced meat and onions in a pastry crust
- fesad-e idara
institutional corruption
- gandana
Afghan leek/Chinese chives
- gap
discussion
- gashtak
discussion (Uzbek/Turkestani)
- ghalmaghal
raucous
- ghulam
slaves
- giraw
surety, mostly made in the form of a jointly agreed upon temporary ownership of a property
- gruh
group
- gudam/anbar
warehouse
- gumruk
customs
- hafiz-e qur’an
a person who has committed the entire Qur’an to memory
- haji khana
lodgings used by pilgrims on the hajj
- hawala
money transfer
- hawaladar
unofficial currency dealers
- ikhtitaf kardan
to kidnap
- kaala pacha
a stew comprising cow feet and head
- kafala
system used in Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Gulf legally linking a migrants’ work visa to a particular job and a particular citizen-sponsor/corporate entity (Arabic)
- kafeel
sponsor (Arabic)
- kaka
father’s brother
- kalanha
elders
- karai shinwari
lamb, tomato and chilli cooked in a karai
- kar-e janjal
problematic/difficult work
- karmandha-ye dawlat
state officials
- keraye
rental
- khairat
sacrificial feast of remembrance
- khakh
soil
- khamirbab
dough used in the preparation of pasta dishes
- kharab
bad
- khatum-e qur’an
recitation of the entire Qur’an by memory
- khud khwah
egoist/selfish
- khush tab
humorous
- khow
asleep
- kuch kardan
to migrate
- lutf
a favour
- malia
tax
- mama
mother’s brother
- mantu
pasta dumplings stuffed with meat
- markaz
centre
- mazhabi
religious
- mehman nawazi/dosti
hospitality
- mehnat
hard work
- mobariza-ye motadawoom
sustained struggle
- modarn
modern
- motamadin
sophisticated
- muhajir
refugee
- mui safed
elders
- musafir khana
lodgings for travellers
- nasabnama
genealogies
- nanwai
bakery
- nur-e chashmam
light of my eye
- paisa-e nurkh
cash
- pul-e peshaki
an advance fee
- pul-e siah
black/illegal money
- puldar
rich/wealthy
- qabala
land registration documents
- qachaqbar
smugglers
- qaradadiha
contractors
- qarz
loan/debt/good provided on credit
- qarzdar
debtor
- qorma
stew
- raan
mortgage (Arabic)
- rahbaran
leaders
- riba
interest (Arabic)
- rishwat
bribes
- rowarbit
relationships (Arabic)
- rughan-e kunjit
sesame oil
- ruz-e shahedat
day of martyrdom
- sadiq
honest and true
- sambusa
baked mincemeat pies
- saraf
money exchange agent
- sar qulfi
long-term lease arrangement
- sazman
organisation
- sheer yakh
hand-made Afghan ice cream
- shorba
soup
- sharakat
partnership
- shirkat-e transporti
transport companies
- shirkat-e tijorati
company offering services related to trade
- shirin buya
liquorice
- sofra/daastarkhan
cloth around which diners sit on the floor when eating
- sud
interest
- sunnati
traditional
- taluqat
relationships
- ta’arof
ritualised display/performance of politeness
- tajir
trader/merchant
- tanbal
lazy
- tandur
clay oven
- taqiya khana
Sufi lodge
- taqwa
piety
- tarbiya
upbringing
- tazkira
national identity card
- tekke
Sufi lodge (Turkish)
- turk-tabar
Turkic
- urf-o adat-e afghanha
Afghan culture and traditions
- ushr
land tax based on shari’a law
- ustad
a master
- waqf
charitable foundation (Arabic)
- wasita
connections
- zakat
alms that Muslims are religious obliged to give
- zer-e nazar
under the gaze
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