What it means
مهربان (mehrabân) means “kind, loving, affectionate, tender.” Pure Persian, A1 vocabulary. One of the warmest praise-adjectives in Persian, applied to mothers, friends, and gentle souls.
How to use it
- مادر مهربان (mâdar-e mehrabân) “kind mother”
- خیلی مهربانی (kheyli mehrabâni) “You are very kind”
- دل مهربان (del-e mehrabân) “kind heart”
Common pairings
- مهربانی (mehrabâni) “kindness”
- نامهربان (nâ-mehrabân) “unkind, harsh”
- مهربانتر (mehrabân-tar) “kinder”
- مهر (mehr) “love, affection, sun”
Etymology
From Middle Persian mihrabān, built on مهر (mehr) which itself meant “love, friendship, contract” and also “the sun”, both senses going back to the Zoroastrian deity Mithra (Avestan Miθra-), guardian of oaths and brotherhood. The suffix -بان (-bân) marks the agent or possessor: “one who carries love.” The same root produces مهرورزی (mehr-varzi, “showing kindness”) and مهربانانه (mehrabânâne, “kindly”).
References
ZabanYar is a Persian app built for heritage learners, the people who can speak a little but want to read, write, and really get it. Free early access at launch.
Join the waitlist →