What it means
دمدمیمزاج (damdami-mezâj) describes a person whose mood or opinions change unpredictably, someone who is one thing one moment and something entirely different the next. The first part, دمدمی, comes from the Arabic root دَمْدَمَة meaning a rumbling or confused noise, used in Persian to suggest something unstable or erratic. The second part, مزاج, also comes from Arabic مِزَاج meaning temperament or mood. Together they paint a picture of someone whose temperament is in constant, noisy flux. A close synonym in Persian is هوایی (havâyi), though damdami-mezâj carries a stronger sense of unpredictability.
How to use it
- اون آدم خیلی دمدمیمزاجه، هر روز یه حرف میزنه. (oon âdam kheyli damdami-mezâje, har ruz ye harf mizane.) “That person is really moody, they say something different every day.”
- با آدمای دمدمیمزاج نمیشه کار کرد. (bâ âdamâye damdami-mezâj nemishe kâr kard.) “You can’t work with moody people.”
- دیشب خوب بود، امروز دوباره دمدمیمزاج شده. (dishab khub bud, emruz dobâre damdami-mezâj shode.) “Last night he was fine, today he has turned moody again.”
- این تصمیمش به خاطر مزاجشه، خیلی دمدمیه. (in tasmimash be khâtere mazâjashe, kheyli damdamiye.) “This decision of hers is because of her temperament, she is really fickle.”
Cultural note
Iranians pay close attention to temperament and mood, and the concept of مزاج (mezâj) has roots in classical Persian medicine, which borrowed the humoral theory from Arabic-Islamic medical tradition. A balanced mezâj was seen as a sign of health and wisdom. Calling someone دمدمیمزاج is a mild but clear criticism in everyday speech, often said half-jokingly about a family member or colleague. The term is common in Tehran colloquial speech and appears frequently in Persian cinema and television to describe unreliable characters.