What it means
بخشش (bakhshesh) carries two related meanings that share the same root: forgiveness or pardon, and generosity or a gift freely given. Both senses flow from the pure Persian verb بخشیدن (bakhshidan), which means both to forgive and to grant or bestow. Context usually makes the sense clear: بخشش کردن (bakhshesh kardan) in the context of a wrongdoing means to forgive, while in the context of money or goods it means to give generously. A near synonym for the forgiveness sense is عفو (afv), which is borrowed from Arabic and tends toward more formal or legal pardons, while bakhshesh sounds warmer and more personal.
How to use it
- بخشش بزرگه. (Bakhshesh bozorge.) “Forgiveness is a great thing.”
- ازت میخوام منو ببخشی. (Azat mikhâm mano bebakhshi.) “I’m asking you to forgive me.”
- بخشش این آدم کار سختیه. (Bakhshesh-e in âdam kâr-e sakhtieh.) “Forgiving this person is not easy.”
- بخششهاش همیشه صادقانه بود. (Bakhshesh-hâsh hamishe sâdeqâne bud.) “His acts of generosity were always sincere.”
Cultural note
Forgiveness holds a prominent place in both Persian literary tradition and everyday social ethics. Classical poets including Saadi devote substantial attention to the moral weight of pardoning others, framing it as a sign of strength rather than weakness. In Iranian family culture, resolving conflicts through بخشش is often expected and publicly encouraged, particularly during Nowruz when settling old grievances is considered auspicious. The word’s dual meaning, covering both forgiveness of wrongs and generosity with resources, reflects a cultural intuition that both acts spring from the same inner quality: an open and unguarded heart.