What it means
جغد (joghd) is the common Persian word for owl, the nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes and silent flight. According to W. B. Henning (BSOAS, 1939), the word is a borrowing from Sogdian čaγut, an Eastern Iranian language once spoken across Central Asia. Two other Persian words exist for owl: بوف (buf) and بوم (bum), both older and more literary, but جغد is the everyday spoken term used across Iran today.
How to use it
- جغد شبها از درخت بلند صدا میکنه. (Joghd shabhâ az derakht boland sedâ mi-kone.) “The owl calls loudly from the tree at night.”
- جغد یه پرنده شکاریه که موش میخوره. (Joghd ye parande-ye shekâri-ye ke mush mi-khore.) “The owl is a bird of prey that eats mice.”
- صدای جغد از تو بیشه میاومد. (Sedâ-ye joghd az tu bishe mi-umad.) “The sound of the owl was coming from inside the thicket.”
- جغد میتونه سرشو تقریباً کامل بچرخونه. (Joghd mi-tune saresh-o taqriban kâmel becharkhune.) “The owl can turn its head almost completely around.”
Cultural note
In Persian folklore, جغد is traditionally viewed as a bird of ill omen, associated with ruins and desolation. The phrase “جغد بر ویرانه مینشیند” (joghd bar virâneh mi-neshinad, “the owl sits on ruins”) is a well-known proverb describing decline and abandonment. This contrasts with Western European traditions where the owl can symbolize wisdom. In classical Persian poetry, جغد frequently appears alongside images of deserted cities as a sign of fallen glory.