What it means
نخست (nakhost) means “first,” “primary,” or “foremost.” It is a pure Persian word with roots traceable to Old Persian and Avestan, where related forms expressed the concept of primacy. In modern Persian, nakhost lives in formal registers: newspaper editorials, academic prose, political speeches, and classical poetry. In everyday speech, most Iranians reach for اول (avval, borrowed from Arabic) instead. A close synonym in the same literary register is نخستین (nakhost-in), the adjectival form meaning “the very first.”
How to use it
- نخست باید مشکل را بفهمیم. (nakhost bâyad moshkel râ befahmim.) “First, we need to understand the problem.”
- این نخستین بار است که اینجا میآیم. (in nakhost-in bâr ast ke injâ mi-âyam.) “This is the first time I am coming here.”
- نخست از همه باید از شما تشکر کنم. (nakhost az hame bâyad az shomâ tashakkor konam.) “First of all, I must thank you.”
- در نخست، اجازه دهید موضوع را توضیح دهم. (dar nakhost, ejâze dahid mowzu’ râ towzih daham.) “To begin with, allow me to explain the subject.”
Cultural note
The preference for nakhost over avval in formal Persian writing reflects a broader pattern in Iranian literary culture: classical Persian words carry prestige and a sense of cultural continuity, while Arabic-origin equivalents are often seen as more colloquial or modern. Writers, poets, and broadcasters on state television tend to favour nakhost in formal openings. In the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, and in classical Persian literature generally, forms like nakhost and nakhost-in appear frequently as markers of ordinal primacy and narrative beginning.