چرا

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian ME lʾd (čim rāy, “why”),[1] from Proto-Iranian *čim (“what”) + *rādi- (“reason, thing”), literally, “what reason”.[2] The former is from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kím ~ čím, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷím (“what”), while the latter is a lexicalization of the locative singular of Proto-Iranian *rād-, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *HraHdʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₁dʰ- (“to think, arrange, accomplish”).[3]

Pronunciation
 
  • (Dari, formal) IPA(key): [t͡ʃʰʊ́.ɾɑː]
    • (Kabuli) IPA(key): [t͡ʃʰʊ́.ɾɑː]
    • (Hazaragi) IPA(key): [t͡ʃʰú.ɾɔː]

Readings
Classical reading? čirā
Dari reading? čurā
Iranian reading? čerâ
Tajik reading? čaro

Adverb
Dari چرا
Iranian Persian
Tajik чаро

چرا • (čerâ)

  1. why
    چرا رفتی شیراز؟
    čerâ rafti širâz?
    Why did you go to Shiraz?
Synonyms
  • برای چه (barâye če), برای چی (barâye či), واسه چی (vâse či)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Ellipsis of چرا که نه؟ (čerâ ke na?, “why not?”).

Interjection

چرا • (čerâ)

  1. (definite positive response to a negative question or statement) yes; surely

Etymology 3

Nominal formation from چریدن (čaridan, “to graze, pasture”).[4]

Noun

چرا • (čarâ)

  1. pasturing, grazing

References
  1. MacKenzie, D. N. (1971) A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, page 22
  2. Rastorgujeva, V. S., Edelʹman, D. I. (2003) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume 2, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, page 203
  3. Edelʹman, D. I. (2020) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume 6, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, page 451; 456
  4. Rastorgujeva, V. S., Edelʹman, D. I. (2003) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume 2, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, pages 227-8
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