شک

What it means

شک (shak) means doubt or suspicion. It is borrowed from Arabic شَكّ (shakk), a noun from the root ش-ك-ك (sh-k-k) denoting division or uncertainty between two possibilities. In Persian the word covers both intellectual doubt (I am not sure whether X is true) and interpersonal suspicion (I suspect someone of something). These two senses are separated by the verb that follows: شک داشتن (shak dâshtan, to have doubt) leans toward uncertainty, while شک کردن (shak kardan, to doubt or to grow suspicious) often carries a more interpersonal or accusatory edge. A common opposite is یقین (yaghin, certainty).

How to use it

• شک دارم که راست میگه (shak dâram ke râst mige) “I doubt that he’s telling the truth.”
• بدون شک (bedun-e shak) “Without a doubt.”
• بهش شک کردم (behesh shak kardam) “I started to suspect him.”
• شکم برطرف شد (shak-am bar-taraf shod) “My doubt was removed.”

Cultural note

The phrase بدون شک (bedun-e shak, without a doubt) is one of the most reliable confidence markers in Persian speech and writing. Speakers use it to assert certainty firmly, in both casual conversation and formal argumentation. Its opposite, با شک (bâ shak, with doubt), appears less often; Iranians typically prefer the softer شاید (shâyad, maybe) when hedging rather than announcing that they are in doubt.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab