What it means
شکایت (shekâyat) means complaint or lawsuit. The word comes directly from Arabic شكاية (shikâya), meaning a grievance brought before someone in authority. In everyday Persian it covers the full range from a minor grumble to a formal legal claim filed in court. A close synonym in the legal register is دعوا (da’vâ), which leans more toward a dispute or legal action between two parties, while شکایت implies one side is the complainant bringing a charge against another.
How to use it
- میخوام از اون آدم شکایت کنم. (mikhâm az oon âdam shekâyat konam.) “I want to file a complaint against that person.”
- شکایتش رو به دادگاه بردن. (shekâyatesh ro be dâdgâh bordan.) “They took their complaint to court.”
- شکایت داری؟ بنویس و بده. (shekâyat dâri? benevis o bede.) “Do you have a complaint? Write it down and hand it in.”
- پلیس شکایتم رو ثبت کرد. (polis shekâyatam ro sabt kard.) “The police registered my complaint.”
Cultural note
In Iran, filing a شکایت at a police station or court is a well-known part of civil and criminal procedure, and ordinary people are generally familiar with the process. The word also carries an older literary sense of lamenting or pouring out one’s sorrow, which appears frequently in classical Persian poetry. This dual use, legal grievance and heartfelt lament, gives the word a somewhat heavier emotional weight than a simple bureaucratic term.