Word A Day

мори обӣ

мори обӣ: water snake

Мори обӣ мори безаҳр аст.
A water snake is a non-poisonous snake.
Мори обӣ дар соҳилҳои дарёҳо, чашмаҳо ва кӯлҳо зиндагӣ мекунад.
Water snakes live on the shores (edges) of rivers, springs and lakes.

Bonus:
Adding the suffix ӣ to a noun changes it to an adjective.
об: water (noun)
обӣ: water (adj.)

Notice that the second sentence is singular in Tajik (a water snake lives…), but in English it sounds more normal in the plural (water snakes live).

Opposite of безаҳр (non-poisonous) is заҳрнок (poisonous).

You can read more about water snakes on the kitobam website: Мори Обӣ

тамошо кардан

тамошо кардан: to watch

Далер бозиро тамошо кард.
Daler watched the game.
Вай ҳар рӯз то ними шаб телевизор тамошо мекунад.
Every day he watches television until the middle of the night.

Bonus:
This verb can also mean to view, to see, or to go sightseeing. In English you would use a prepositional phrase to say where you were sightseeing, but in Tajik the place is the direct object. For example:
Онҳо Бухороро тамошо карданд. They went sightseeing in Bukhara.
If you translate into English without using a preposition:
They viewed Bukhara. They saw Bukhara.

тамошохона: theatre

шаб

шаб: night

Мо шаб меравем.
We will go at night.
Шаб чунон торик буд, ки каси рӯ ба ҳам омада ҳамдигарро шинохта наметавонист.
It was so dark at night that a person coming face to face with another couldn’t recognize each other.

Bonus:
Antonym: рӯз

шабонарӯз: 24-hour day
шабу рӯз: night and day
шаб ба хайр: good night
шаб гузаронидан: to spend the night
шабнам: dew (нам: damp)

мушкил

мушкил: difficult

Зиндагӣ бе дӯст мушкил аст.
Life without a friend is difficult.
Кори нонпазӣ барои бачаи 11-12-сола хеле мушкил буд.
The work of baking bread was very difficult for an 11-12 year old boy.

Bonus:
Synonym: душвор, вазнин

Add the suffix ӣ to change the adjective to a noun.
мушкилӣ: difficulty

мушкилфаҳм: difficult to understand

A мушкилкушо (мушкил + кушо, verb stem of кушодан, to open) is a ceremony that a Tajik woman might have if she is facing some difficulties. She will invite some other ladies over and they will go through a series of rituals together.

ганҷ

ганҷ: treasure

Ҳар ҷо, ки ганҷи шумост, дили шумо низ дар он ҷо мешавад.
Wherever your treasure is, your heart will also be there.
Забон калидест, ки дари ганҷи донишро боз мекунад.
Language is the key that opens the door of the treasure of knowledge.

Bonus:
ганҷков: treasure seeker
ганҷёб: treasure finder
ганҷина: treasury, place where treasure is kept

кон

кон: mine

Рӯзи якшанбе барои табобат ба кони намак омаданд.
On Sunday they came to the salt mine for treatment.
Австралия бо конҳои тило машҳур аст.
Australia is known for its gold mines.

Bonus:
Тило can also be spelled тилло.

кандан: to mine
конкан: miner
кони ангишт: coal mine
кони нуқра: silver mine

кӣ

кӣ: who

Ин хабарро аз кӣ шунидӣ?
Who did you hear this news from?
Шумо киро бештар эҳтиром мекунед?
Who do you respect more?

Bonus:
In the second sentence кӣ is the object, so takes the object marker ро. The letter ӣ is changed to и because ӣ can’t occur in the middle of a word.

ҳар кӣ: all who, whoever

кам

кам: few, a little

Ман кам кор мекунам.
I work a little. (I don’t work very much.)
Имрӯз дар кишвари мо лаклакҳо хеле кам мондаанд.
Today in our country (only) a very few storks remain.

Bonus:
Synonym: андак
Antonyms: бисёр, зиёд

кам-кам: just a little, a very little

Кам is also used in many compound words, for example –
камақл: not smart
камбин: having weak eyesight
камбудӣ: shortcoming, having something lacking
камгап: one who doesn’t talk much
камнамак: lacking salt, not having enough salt
камравған: lacking oil, not oily enough
камхоб: one who doesn’t sleep much

кӯча

кӯча: street

Идораи мо дар кӯчаи Мирзо Турсунзода ҷойгир аст.
Our office is located on Mirzo Tursonzoda Street.
Ман ҳеҷ гоҳ ин хел иморатҳои баланди зебо, ин хел кӯчаҳои серодамро надида будам.
I had never seen such tall beautiful buildings and such crowded streets.

Bonus:
серодам: full of people, crowded

ба кӯча баромадан: to go outside
дар кӯча мондан: to become homeless

Add the suffix гӣ to make this word, кӯча, an adjective –
гапи кӯчагӣ: street talk
чароғҳои кӯчагӣ: street lamps

гусел кардан

гусел кардан: to see off, to send off

Писару модар боборо гусел карданд.
The son and mother saw grandfather off.
Чун вақти мо ба охир расид, боз ба роҳ даромадем, ва ҳама бо занону бачаҳошон моро то беруни шаҳр гусел карданд.
When our time came to an end, we set off on the road again, and everyone with their wives and children saw us off to the outside of the city.

Bonus:
Synonyms: гуселонидан, хайрухуш кардан

гуселкунанда: the person who sees somebody off

In Tajik culture it is very important to see your guests off properly. When visiting somebody who lives in a house with a yard, the host family will accompany the guests to the gate to say goodbye there. If the guests have arrived by car the host family will usually go out to the car with them. If the guests have walked, then somebody from the host family might walk half way home with them. When a friend or family member leaves on an airplane it would not be unusual for many friends and family members to come to the airport to see them off.