نفس

What it means

نفس (nafas) means breath or a single act of breathing. The word comes from Arabic نَفَس (nafas), derived from the root ن-ف-س (n-f-s), which carries the sense of breathing, soul, and self. In Persian the word is used concretely to mean breath (the physical act) and in extended senses to mean vitality, life, or a moment of relief. The compound نفس کشیدن (nafas keshidan) is the standard way to say to breathe. نفس داشتن (nafas dâshtan) means to have breath left, often used figuratively to mean to still have strength or life remaining. In colloquial speech نفسم بند اومد (nafas-am band umad) means “I was breathless” and is used for moments of shock, exhaustion, or amazement.

How to use it

• نفس بکش (nafas bekesh) “Breathe. / Take a breath.”
• نفسم بند اومد (nafas-am band umad) “I was breathless / I couldn’t breathe.”
• یه نفس عمیق بکش (ye nafas-e amigh bekesh) “Take a deep breath.”
• تا نفس دارم کنارتم (tâ nafas dâram kenârat-am) “As long as I have breath, I am by your side.”

Cultural note

نفس carries spiritual weight in Persian literary and religious tradition. In Sufi poetry نفس also refers to the ego or lower self, the part of the human being that must be disciplined or overcome on the spiritual path. This second meaning (نفس اماره, the commanding self that urges toward base desires) is distinct from the breath meaning but uses the same word. In everyday speech this double meaning rarely causes confusion, but it gives the word a depth that a learner of Persian literature will quickly encounter.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab