# Urdu, Persian: Playing cards



## mundiya

Hi all. I have a couple of questions.

1) Is the preferred term for playing cards in Urdu "taas" or "taash"? Based on Platts, the original word in Persian is "taas".

2) Is "taas" the term used in modern Persian for playing cards or is another word used instead?

Thanks


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## Sheikh_14

I have never for the life of me heard anyone say taas, and have always heard taash and taash patte for playing cards. Lets see what Perso-phones have to say.


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## Persp0lis

Hi.
In Persian, we say "تاس/taas" for "dice" in playing some games like _Backgammon_ or _Mensch. _It has nothing to do with playing cards, at least in Persian.


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## Treaty

The common playing cards (both as a generic name and individual cards) are usually called ورق in Persian. Some people also call the whole deck (but not individual cards) پاسور.

P.S., the English name for "Mensch" منچ is Ludo (UK, AU) or Parcheesi (NA).


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## PersoLatin

Apart from board games, some old popular games are played with تاس/taas only.

To play cards > ورق بازی
A deck of (playing) cards > دست ورق (dast varaq) as in 'pass me a deck of playing cards'.

Or just ورق as Treaty as already said. P.S. I always thought پاسور was a card game, also called چهاربرگ


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## Treaty

پاسور is the name of that game as well (it is called یازده as well), probably coming after the act of سور - taking all the remaining cards on the table.


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## Sheikh_14

So as per Mundiya jee's orginal question, taas invariably means a "dice" and not cards by any means? How this definition has shifted is a different matter entirely but the current if not the original definition of تاس in Persian is a dice. Is this the generic term you use for a dice in all forms of board games I.e. when you refer to the throw of a dice ?​


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## Treaty

It is a generic name for all kinds of die. It is not also used for cards at all in Persian. 

As for the original meaning, I wonder if it is related to تاس or طاس ("bowl") referring to the way the dies were possibly thrown (at least in East Asia, they put them into a bowl first). Anyway, I couldn't find a reference to the "die" meaning of تاس before 19th century. So, I also wonder if تاس is an English loanword - "to toss" - that is only if this verb was prominently used to connote "to throw/roll a die".


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## Sheikh_14

Thank you for your valuable input. Steingass had the following to offer: تاس باز tās-bāz, A conjuror; a card- player (see طاس باز). As you have already stated this shift in denotations for تاش is quite recent but I have an inkling its origins lie within Farsi rather than elsewhere; where by as you have suggested since bowls were used for shaking and rolling dice there could be a nexus between the two. Similarly cards and dies go hand in hand which is why as Steingass suggest a Taas Baaz at least then meant a card player. It appears the origins do lie in the Persian word for piyaala (bowl/goblet). Urdu uses Taas for to toss which is derived from English and is a mere Urduisation of the word but I do not know if Persian too has it's variant of toss within its ranks.


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## Stranger_

> and taash *patte *for playing cards.


The word "patte/patta پته" is used in some places in Iran too, though it is not as common as "ورق". To refer to the game itself, we say either ورق بازی/پته بازی (with no izafe) or بازی ورق/بازی پته (with izafe, i.e. baziye varagh/patte).

Is the word "patte" of Indic origin?


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## mundiya

Yes, it's of Indic origin. "pattaa" is the singular form, and "patte" the plural. The original "pattaa" پتا has become "pattah" پته in Urdu, and based on your post this is the form used in Persian.


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## PersoLatin

^ What does the original Indic pattaa mean please?


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## mundiya

Here is the definition. The literal meaning is leaf and leaf/card are the primary usages. 

H پتا पत्ता _pattā_ [S. पत्त्त्र+कः; Prk. पत्तं, or पत्तओ], s.m. Leaf (of a tree); a card; an ornament worn in the upper part of the ear; a leaf-shaped ornament hanging from an ear-ring


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## PersoLatin

Thank you Mundiya.

Sorry, this is going a little off topic, I asked because in Persian, پته paté/pata has 3 other uses: (See here)
1 Skirt, apron = دامن. ردا. قسمت پایین لباس و روپوش
2 A document giving right of way to one's animals = جواز. گذرنامه . بلیط. گذرنامه ٔ اسب و استر و اشتر و خر و الاغ و مال التجاره و جز آن . جواز مالداران که حاکی از ادای حق راهداری است
3 Name of *steps* fixed in narrow & inclined waterways, to prevent movement of sand/silt =  بندگونه ای که جاجا در جویهای نشیب دار بندند که هم آب نگاه دارد و هم جوی شسته نشود

Could any of these be due development of the Indic version? 1 & 2 are likely.

These are popular sayings with *پته:*
His پته/paté/pata fell on/in the water (his secrets are out) - *پته اش روی آب افتادن* ؛ راز و سرّ او فاش شدن .
Tie/fix پته/paté/pata - *پته بستن* ؛ بستن بند در جای جای جویهای نشیب دار.


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## mundiya

It seems there are a few different words that have merged into one in Persian. For example, two of the meanings you mentioned are connected to the definitions below.

S پٿ पट्ट _paṭṭa_, _paṭṭ_, s.m. Slab, tablet (for painting); plate (of metal, for inscription or engraving of royal edicts, grants, &c.); patent, *document*, royal grant or order (written on copper, stone, &c); seat, chair, throne; a strip; frontlet; turban, tiara, diadem; woven silk; *an upper or outer garment*; bandage, ligature, &c.; city, town, village;


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## Stranger_

Very interesting. There are some other words of Indic origin too like "panke" which means "fan". In my village, we used to call a "hand fan" "pankeye kaghazi - meaning: a paper-made fan" but now we mostly use the word "badbezan".


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