What it means
شاد (shâd) means joyful, glad, or happy. It is a pure Persian word inherited directly from Middle Persian, where it carried the same meaning. Among the emotion adjectives in Persian it is the most foundational: nearly every word for happiness, celebration, or delight is built from شاد as a base. Its direct opposite is غمگین (ghamgin, sad), and a more elevated synonym is شادمان (shâdmân, delighted).
How to use it
- خوشحالم که شادی! (khoshhâlam ke shâdi!) “I’m glad you are happy!”
- امروز خیلی شادم. (emruz kheyli shâdam.) “I am very joyful today.”
- بچهها شاد بودن. (bachehâ shâd budan.) “The children were happy.”
- یه خبر شاد دارم. (ye khabar shâd dâram.) “I have a joyful piece of news.”
Cultural note
شاد appears in Nowruz greetings, wedding songs, and children’s poetry at a very high frequency. The phrase عید شما شاد (eyd-e shomâ shâd, may your holiday be joyful) is the standard New Year wish. Because the word is so old and unambiguously positive, it is used freely across all age groups and social contexts without any hint of formality or informality.