What it means
شادمانی (shâdmâni) means joy, happiness, or cheerfulness. It is a pure Persian word built from شاد (shâd), meaning glad or happy, which traces back to Old Persian, plus the abstract suffix -مانی (-mâni). The result is a word that feels warmer and slightly more elevated than خوشحالی (khoshhâli), which is the everyday colloquial word for happiness. Shâdmâni tends to appear in writing, songs, and formal wishes, while khoshhâli is what you say in quick conversation.
How to use it
- شادمانی تو آرزوی منه. (Shâdmâniy-e to ârezu-ye mane.) “Your happiness is my wish.”
- روز تولدت پر از شادمانی باشه. (Ruze tavalodat por az shâdmâni bâshe.) “May your birthday be full of joy.”
- شادمانی واقعی از درون میاد. (Shâdmâniy-e vâghe’i az darun miyâd.) “True joy comes from within.”
- صداش از شادمانی میدرخشید. (Sedâsh az shâdmâni midorakhshid.) “His voice was glowing with joy.”
Cultural note
Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is the cultural peak of شادمانی. Traditional greetings during Nowruz often call for shâdmâni explicitly, wishing the recipient a year filled with it. In classical Persian literature, shâdmâni and its opposite, غم (gham, sorrow), form one of the central philosophical pairs that poets use to explore the human condition.