What it means
نکن (nakon) is the 2nd-person-singular negative imperative of the verb kardan (“to do, to make”). It means “don’t (do it)!” The prefix na- is the negator, kon is the present stem of kardan. Iranians use it as a literal stop-command, as a playful protest, and as the response to almost any annoying behavior. It pairs with hundreds of compound verbs ending in -kardan, which makes it one of the most productive negative forms in the language.
How to use it
- این کارو نکن (in kâro nakon) “don’t do that”
- اذیتم نکن (azitam nakon) “don’t bother me”
- گریه نکن (gerye nakon) “don’t cry”
- شوخی نکن (shukhi nakon) “don’t joke” or “you’re kidding”
- دعوا نکن (da’vâ nakon) “don’t fight”
- فکرشم نکن (fekresham nakon) “don’t even think about it”
Spoken vs written
Spoken: نکن (nakon). Written or poetic: مکن (makon), an older negative imperative formed with the prefix ma- instead of na-. Makon survives in classical poetry and elevated prose: Hafez and Saadi reach for it constantly. In modern speech and prose, only nakon is used; makon would sound theatrical, like a Shakespearean “do not.”
The pattern extends to other verbs: spoken نگو (nagu, “don’t say”) versus poetic مگو (magu); spoken نرو (naro, “don’t go”) versus poetic مرو (maro). A learner who slips makon or magu into a casual conversation gets the same affectionate teasing as someone using “thou” in English. The forms are still alive, just in literary territory only.
Cultural note
The phrase شوخی نکن (shukhi nakon), literally “don’t joke,” is a stock reaction to surprising news, equivalent to English “are you serious?” It does not actually accuse the speaker of joking. Parents lean on این کارو نکن (in kâro nakon) for everything a child shouldn’t be doing, and the inflection alone tells the kid whether it’s mild or final.
There’s also a tender register: گریه نکن (gerye nakon), “don’t cry,” said with a hand on the shoulder. And a darker one: ولم کن (velam kon, “let go of me”) and اذیتم نکن (azitam nakon, “don’t bother me”) are the two most common defensive phrases in Iranian sibling fights, recognizable to anyone who grew up in a multi-kid household.
References
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