خجالت

Pseudo-Arabism, derived from the Arabic root خ ج ل (ḵ j l).

خجالت • (xejâlat)

1. embarrassment; shame; bashfulness; shyness

• There are nuanced differences between خجالت (xejâlat), حیاء (hayâ'), شرم (šarm), and کمرویی (kamruyi), all of which concern shame and/or shyness.^[1]
  • خجالت (xejâlat) is a more self-oriented emotion, in which someone “questions themselves for not being able to be accepted socially or achieving the standards of their social circles”.
  • حیاء (hayâ') and شرم (šarm) most closely approximate “guilt; shame”, and the former is more common in religious contexts.
  • کمرویی (kamruyi) means “shyness; diffidence; lack of confidence”, and is “an emotion that prevents an individual from taking an action which is within their ability and in accordance with their value system”.