What it means
هر کی (har ki) means “whoever” or “anyone who” in colloquial Persian. It is the informal spoken counterpart of هر که (har ke) or the more formal هر کس (har kas). هر (har) is a native Persian word meaning “every” or “any,” and کی (ki) is the colloquial pronoun “who” derived from the formal که (ke). All components are pure Persian. In writing, formal speech, and classical literature you will see هر که or هر کس. In everyday conversation and casual writing, هر کی is the natural, unmarked choice across Iran. The formal and informal forms are mutually transparent and interchangeable in meaning.
How to use it
- هر کی اومد، خوشاومد. (Har ki umad, khosh umad.) “Whoever came was welcome.”
- هر کی این کارو کرده، اشتباه کرده. (Har ki in kâro karde, eshtebâh karde.) “Whoever did this made a mistake.”
- هر کی زودتر برسه، جا نگه داره. (Har ki zudtar berese, jâ negah dâre.) “Whoever arrives first should save a seat.”
- هر کی بخواد میتونه بیاد. (Har ki bekhâd mitune biâd.) “Whoever wants to can come.”
Cultural note
Like هر چی, the form هر کی is a reliable marker of informal Iranian Persian and appears constantly in daily conversation, television serials, and social media. The formal variant هر کس appears in written legal language, religious texts, and formal announcements. Knowing the difference helps learners read both registers accurately. In Persian proverbs and folk sayings, هر که (the intermediate form, slightly less formal than هر کس but more formal than هر کی) appears frequently, so learners will encounter all three forms in authentic material. Mastering هر کی at A2 level opens the door to understanding the broader هر plus pronoun pattern in Persian.