افغان

See also: أفغان

Ottoman Turkish

Noun

افغان • (Afgan)

  1. Afghan

Adjective

افغان • (Afgan)

  1. Afghan

Pashto

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian اَفْغَان (afġān).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʔap.ɣɑn/
  • IPA(key): /ʔäw.ˈɣɑːn/

Noun

افغان • (afǧānm

  1. Afghan

Declension

Declension of افغان
singular plural
direct افغان (afǧān) افغانان (afǧānân)
oblique افغان (afǧān) افغانانو (afǧānâno)
vocative افغانه (afǧāna) افغانانو (afǧānâno)

Persian

Pronunciation

 

Readings
Classical reading? afġān
Dari reading? afġān
Iranian reading? afġân
Tajik reading? afġon

Etymology 1

Derived from Bactrian αβαγανο (abagano), first attested in the fourth century CE, most likely a compound of *apāka- (distant, faraway) + [script needed] (-āna, ethnic group): "people from a distant land". The /b/ > /f/ shift represents a phonetic peculiarity of the Early New Persian dialect of Khorasan.[1]

Noun

افغان • (afġān / afġân) (plural افغان‌ها (afġān-hā / afġân-hâ), or افاغنه (afāġina / afâġene), Tajik spelling афғон)

  1. Afghan (a person from Afghanistan)
  2. (dated) Pashtun (a person of Pashtun ethnicity)
Alternative forms
  • اوغان (owġân)
  • اوغو (awġō) (dialectal, Hazaragi)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Derived from Sogdian [script needed] (ʾβγʾn /⁠əfɣaːn⁠/). Cognate with Middle Persian ʾbxwʾn- (abxwān-, to call, cry).

Interjection

Dari افغان
Iranian Persian
Tajik афғон

افغان • (afġân)

  1. alas
  2. oh

Noun

افغان • (afġân)

  1. lamentation, cry
    Synonyms: زاری (zâri), فریاد (faryâd)

Alternative forms

  • فغان (faġân), اوغان (owġân)

Derived terms

  • افغان برآوردن (afġân bar-âvardan)
  • افغان برداشتن (afġân bar-dâštan)
  • افغان برکشیدن (afġân bar-kešidan)
  • افغان کردن (afġân kardan)

References

  1. ^ Johnny Cheung (2017) “On the Origin of the Terms "Afghan" & "Pashtun" (Again)”, in Enrico Morano, Elio Provasi & Adriano V. Rossi, editors, Studia Philologica Iranica: Gherardo Gnoli Memorial Volume, Rome, Italy: Scienze e Lettere, →ISBN, pages 31—51

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian افغان (afġān).

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Urdu) IPA(key): /əf.ɣɑːn/
  • Rhymes: -ɑːn
  • Hyphenation: اَف‧غان

Noun

اَفْغان • (afġānm (Hindi spelling अफ़्ग़ान)

  1. Afghan (a person from Afghanistan)
  2. (historical) Pashtun (a person of Pashtun ethnicity)
    Synonym: پَٹھان (paṭhān)

References

  • افغان”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
  • افغان”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.