ـگان

Persian

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [.ɡɑːn]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [.ɡɑːn]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [.ɡɑːn]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [.ɡɑːn]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [.ɡɔːn]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [.ɡɒːn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [.ɡɔn]

Readings
Classical reading?
Dari reading?
Iranian reading?
Tajik reading?

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (-kʾn' /⁠-(a)gān⁠/). Compare Old Armenian -ական (-akan), an Iranian borrowing.

Suffix

ـگان • (-gân)

1. a suffix used to form adjectives and nouns with the meaning of "pertaining to" or "relating to" but many have developed to more specific meanings

   ‎راه (râh, “way”) → ‎رایگان (râygân, “free”, literally “something that can be found on the way”)

   ‎شاه (šâh, “king”) → ‎شایگان (šâygân, “royal, kingly, treasure, valuable thing”)

   ‎ده (deh, “village”) → ‎دهقان (dehqân, “villager, farmer”, literally “pertaining to the village”)

   ‎بازار (bâzâr, “market”) → ‎بازرگان (bâzargân, “merchant, trader”)

   ‎مهر (mehr, “month of Mehr”) → ‎مهرگان (mehrgân, “Mehregan”, a Persian celebration that takes place in the month of Mehr)

   ‎جنوب (jonub, “south”) → ‎جنوبگان (jonubgân, “Antarctica”)

Derived terms

Persian terms suffixed with ـگان

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• ـکان (-kân)

Suffix

ـگان • (-gân)

1. a suffix forming the plural of animate nouns, with some exceptions; the main form is ـان (an), but it becomes ـگان (-gân) after a silent ه (h), ـیان after و or ا

   ‎پرنده (parande, “bird”) → ‎پرندگان (parandegân, “birds”)

   ‎پله (pelle, “stair”) → ‎پلکان (pellekân, “stairs”)

   ‎نیا (niyâ, “ancestor”) → ‎نیاکان (niyâkân, “ancestors”)