بازی

What it means

بازی (bâzi) means game, play, or match, and as a suffix it forms a large family of compound words. The core verb بازی کردن (bâzi kardan) means to play, in contexts from a child playing in the yard to an actor performing a role to a team competing in a match. The phrase بازی درآوردن (bâzi darâvordan) means to trick someone or to pull a fast one, carrying the idea that one person has staged a performance to deceive another. As a suffix, بازی attaches to many words: عروسک‌بازی (arussak-bâzi, playing with dolls), تماشا‌بازی (tamâshâ-bâzi, showing off), و کلاه‌بازی (kolâh-bâzi, swindling). The verb بازی داشتن (bâzi dâshtan) in colloquial speech means to have a game on or to be involved in something.

How to use it

• بچه‌ها دارن بازی می‌کنن. (bachehâ dâran bâzi mikonan.) “The kids are playing.”
• بازی فردا کِیه؟ (bâzi-ye fardâ keye?) “When is tomorrow’s match?”
• با من بازی درنیار. (bâ man bâzi darniâr.) “Do not try to trick me.”
• فوتبال‌بازی بلدی؟ (futbâl-bâzi baladi?) “Do you know how to play football?”

Cultural note

بازی is one of the most productive roots in colloquial Persian. The suffix form alone generates dozens of everyday nouns and compound verbs, which means understanding بازی as a root unlocks a large portion of everyday vocabulary at once. In Iranian family life, بازی کردن with children is a deeply valued parental act, and the phrase بیا بازی کنیم (come play with me) is among the first sentences Persian-speaking children say. The compound بازیگر (bâzigar, actor) shows how naturally play extends into performance in Persian thinking, since the same word covers a child playing, a footballer competing, and an actor on stage.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab