What it means
تدفین (tadfin) means interment or burial, specifically the formal act of burying the dead. It is an Arabic form-II verbal noun (masdar) from the root د-ف-ن (d-f-n), the same root found in the simpler Arabic word دفن (dafn). In Persian, تدفین is the more elevated and legally precise term: it appears in death certificates, official announcements, religious texts, and funeral regulations. Its everyday native-Persian counterpart is خاکسپاری (khâksepâri), which is used in both formal and informal speech without the same legal or religious weight.
How to use it
- اجازه تدفین صادر شد. (Ejâze-ye tadfin sâder shod.) “The burial permit was issued.”
- تدفین طبق شریعت اسلامی انجام میشه. (Tadfin tebq-e shari’at-e eslâmi anjâm mishe.) “Burial is carried out according to Islamic law.”
- مراسم تدفین در حضور خانواده برگزار شد. (Marâsem-e tadfin dar hozur-e khânevâde bargozâr shod.) “The interment ceremony was held in the presence of the family.”
- محل تدفین مشخص نیست. (Mahal-e tadfin moshakhkhas nist.) “The place of burial has not been determined.”
Cultural note
In Iran, تدفین is a term that appears in both religious jurisprudence (فقه, feqh) and civil registration law. Islamic jurisprudence lays out detailed requirements for the sequence of rites that must precede تدفین: the ritual washing (غسل, ghosl), the shrouding (تکفین, takfin), and the funeral prayer (نماز میت, namâz-e mayyit). Civil authorities also use تدفین on official death and burial documents. Because of its formal register, it would sound out of place in casual conversation compared to خاکسپاری.