شب

What it means

شب (shab) means “night.” Native Persian word from Middle Persian šab. Foundation A1 vocabulary, paired with روز as the basic day-night dyad.

How to use it

• شب به خیر (shab be kheyr) “Good night”
• شب طولانی است (shab tulâni ast) “The night is long”
• هر شب کتاب می‌خوانم (har shab ketâb mikhânam) “I read a book every night”

Common pairings

• شب‌ها (shab-hâ) “nights”
• شبانه (shabâne) “nightly”
• دیشب (dishab) “last night”
• امشب (emshab) “tonight”
• نیمه‌شب (nimeshab) “midnight”
• شب نشینی (shab-neshini) “evening gathering” (cultural ritual)
• شب یلدا (shab-e yaldâ) “winter solstice night”

Cultural note

Persian culture has rich shab traditions: شب یلدا (winter solstice) is celebrated with pomegranates, watermelon, and Hafez poetry; شب چهارشنبه‌سوری (last Wednesday of the year) involves jumping over fires; شب نشینی is the everyday Iranian practice of staying up late together with family or friends.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab