اشتباه

What it means

اشتباه (eshtebâh) means mistake, error, or wrongness. The word comes from Arabic اِشْتِبَاه (ishtibâh), built on the root ش-ب-ه (sh-b-h) meaning resemblance or confusion, with the sense of mixing up one thing for another. In Persian, اشتباه works as both a noun and a predicate adjective. As a noun: یه اشتباه کردم (I made a mistake). As an adjective: این اشتباهه (this is wrong). The compound verb اشتباه کردن (eshtebâh kardan) means to make a mistake, and اشتباه گرفتن (eshtebâh gereftan) means to confuse one thing with another (literally to take the wrong thing). The closest synonyms are غلط (ghalat, wrong/incorrect, slightly more formal in writing) and خطا (khatâ, error/fault, used in more serious or technical contexts).

How to use it

• اشتباه کردم، ببخشید (eshtebâh kardam, bebakhshid) “I made a mistake, sorry.”
• این حرف اشتباهه (in harf eshtebâhe) “This statement is wrong.”
• اشتباهش رو فهمید (eshtebâh-ash ro fahmid) “He realized his mistake.”
• تو رو با داداشت اشتباه گرفتم (to ro bâ dâdâsh-et eshtebâh gereftem) “I confused you with your brother.”

Cultural note

Admitting اشتباه in Iranian culture is more nuanced than a simple apology. In public or professional settings, acknowledging error directly is valued as a sign of integrity, but in some hierarchical situations admitting mistake can be seen as a loss of face. A common graceful exit is to frame the error as a misunderstanding rather than a mistake: «فکر می‌کردم…» (I thought…) or «اشتباه فهمیدم» (I misunderstood) spreads the responsibility and softens the personal admission. Children, however, are explicitly taught to say «اشتباه کردم» clearly as a lesson in accountability.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab