What it means
سر تکان دادن (sar takân dâdan) literally means “to give the head a shake.” It is a compound verb built from سر (sar, “head”), تکان (takân, “a shake” or “a jolt”), and the light verb دادن (dâdan, “to give”). In practice the phrase covers both nodding in agreement and shaking the head in refusal, since context and direction of movement tell listeners which meaning is meant. A close synonym is سر جنباندن (sar jombândan), which is more literary and less common in spoken Persian.
How to use it
- سرش رو تکان داد و چیزی نگفت. (sareš ro takân dâd o čizi nagoft.) “He shook his head and said nothing.”
- وقتی پرسیدم موافقی، سرمو تکان دادم. (vaghti porsidam movâfeghi, saramo takân dâdam.) “When they asked if I agreed, I nodded.”
- معلم سرش رو تکان داد یعنی نه. (moallem sareš ro takân dâd yani na.) “The teacher shook her head, meaning no.”
- بچه با خنده سر تکان داد. (bačče bâ xande sar takân dâd.) “The child nodded with a smile.”
Cultural note
In Iranian body language, the direction of the head movement is what signals yes or no: a single downward nod typically means yes, while a side-to-side or upward tilt signals no. A quick upward flick of the head combined with a click of the tongue is a very common Persian way of saying no without speaking. The verb سر تکان دادن is neutral enough to appear in both formal descriptions and casual everyday speech.