What it means
کودکی (kudaki) means “childhood.” Formed from کودک (kudak) “child” plus the abstract noun suffix ـی. Covers roughly birth to age 13 in everyday Iranian usage.
How to use it
- دوران کودکی (dowrân-e kudaki) “the era of childhood”
- خاطرات کودکی (khâterât-e kudaki) “childhood memories”
- از کودکی (az kudaki) “since childhood”
When this stage falls
Roughly 0 to 13. The cultural mileposts: starting dabestân (elementary school) at 6 or 7, and reaching بلوغ (boluq, puberty) which traditionally ends kudaki and starts nojavâni. Iranian families dote heavily during this stage, and grandparents play a much bigger daily role than in Western nuclear families.
Cultural note
کودکی carries a softer, more literary tone than the spoken alternative بچگی (bachegi). You’ll see kudaki in essays, school textbooks, song lyrics. You’ll hear bachegi in casual conversation. Both are used; register decides which.
References
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