خنده

What it means

خنده (khande) means “laughter” or “a laugh,” sometimes a wide smile. It is a foundational pure-Persian noun, the pair-word of گریه (crying).

How to use it

• خنده‌ام گرفت (khande-am gereft) “I burst out laughing”
• خنده‌دار بود (khandedâr bud) “it was funny”
• صدای خنده‌اش (sedâ-ye khande-ash) “the sound of her laughter”

Common pairings

• خنده و گریه (khande-vo-gerye) “laughter and tears” (set pair)
• خنده‌دار (khandedâr) “funny, laughable”
• زیر خنده زدن (zir-e khande zadan) “to burst into laughter”

Cultural note

Iranian gatherings prize loud, communal خنده. A good guest tells stories that get everyone laughing; a good host laughs with full lungs. The pair خنده و گریه shows up in poetry, films, and lullabies as shorthand for the full range of human feeling, often delivered together at weddings, funerals, and Yalda nights.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab