# Persian-Urdu-Hindi: dost/duust vs yaar



## Qureshpor

In Urdu, both "dost"[duust] and "yaar" basically mean a "friend", though "yaar" does have connotations of a "lover" and sometimes possibly with negative connotations when one talks about a female having a "yaar". Of coure, in Urdu poetry "yaar" is quite common. Are the meanings of these two words quite distinct in Persian or are they somewhat blurred and merge into one another?

A long while back, I heard a popular Persian song, which I think began with these lines.

ai aasemuun ai aasemuun naqsh-i-zamiin e
xudam angustar-o, angushtar-o-yaaram nagiin e

Here, "yaar" is clearly meant to be the "singer's" lover/beloved.


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## eskandar

The distinctions between دوست and یار in Persian are quite messy and blurred. Both in literature as well as in the vernacular, either one can mean "friend" "companion" "lover" or "comrade" depending on the context.


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## Faylasoof

eskandar said:


> The distinctions between دوست and یار in Persian are quite messy and blurred. Both in literature as well as in the vernacular, either one can mean "friend" "companion" "lover" or "comrade" depending on the context.


  Same can be said to a large extent for Urdu too and certainly in our own Persian tradition (Indo-Pak _faarsii_) where often the two can be interchanged but some places perhaps not. For example in these verses trying to interchange either would not be advisable:

بہ مہرش از آن راہ جنبیدہ مہر
كزین رو زنش دوست بنمودہ چہر
مرزا غالب 

میر اگر این است جوش ِ گریہ در ہجران ِ یار
ابر خواہد  برد  آب از  دیدہ  گریان ِ  ما
میر تقی میر


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## Qureshpor

Would "yaar" be connected to the Persian verb "yaarastan"?


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## Qureshpor

Moderators: Please extend the title to Urdu and Hindi, so that a new thread on "yaar" is not made necessary.

In a recent thread, I quoted an Urdu couplet from the poet "DaaGh". I would like to discuss the meaning "yaaroN" in this particular couplet as well as the wider meaning of "yaar" in Urdu and Hindi.

So..

1) What meaning do you take from "yaaroN"?

2) What meanings do you attach to the word "yaar"?

nahiiN khel ai daaGh yaaroN se kah do
kih aatii hai Urdu zabaaN aate aate


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## Aryamp

As mentioned by others many times 'yaar' and 'dust' can be interchangable and their meanings overlap in many areas, nevertheless obviously there are also differences in the way they are used and the impression they have on at least me as a persian speaker.

'dust' is the general term for 'friend'  and it is the word that's mostly used when talking about your friends, even girlfriend/boyfriend.(دوست پسر ،دوست دختر)

Dusti = Friendship
Yaari = friendship ,assistance, help, backing , support

So here is the important difference between the two words,  'yaar' carries a sense of a supporter and helper, and as a friend someone who has been with you during tough times . So where both are used to mean 'friend' , 'yaar' is much more cordial and suggestive of a deep and long friendship.  And then we have expressions like : 

بخت با او یار بود = He had luck on his side
And here obviously 'yaar' cannot be substituted with 'dust'. In sports, yaar means a teammate, because obviously teammates work together and help each other to score.

I think in literature 'dust' has a more platonic meaning and 'yaar' is more often used to mean a sweetheart or a lover. At least now that I try to remember Hafiz poems I think many times he has used 'dust' opposite of 'dushman' . And where his most delicate romantic sentiments are involved he more often has used the word 'yaar' .


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## UrduMedium

QURESHPOR said:


> nahiiN khel daaGh yaaroN se kah do
> kih aatii hai Urdu zabaaN aate aate



Typo ...

nahiiN khel *ai *daaGh yaaroN se kah do
kih aatii hai Urdu zabaaN aate aate

Edit: While in poetry the word yaar could mean more than friend (beloved, ...), in everyday spoken Urdu, yaar almost always means a close friend (buddy?). With that yaaroN would equate to "buddies" in English.


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## Qureshpor

^ Thank you for the correction.


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## tonyspeed

UrduMedium said:


> Typo ...
> 
> nahiiN khel *ai *daaGh yaaroN se kah do
> kih aatii hai Urdu zabaaN aate aate
> 
> Edit: While in poetry the word yaar could mean more than friend (beloved, ...), in everyday spoken Urdu, yaar almost always means a close friend (buddy?). With that yaaroN would equate to "buddies" in English.



Thank you for this clarification. I have often wondered why they were using yaar(a) this way in songs.


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## Wolverine9

UrduMedium said:


> Edit: While in poetry the word yaar could mean more than friend (beloved, ...), in everyday spoken Urdu, yaar almost always means a close friend (buddy?). With that yaaroN would equate to "buddies" in English.



Yes, it is very common in this sense.  Buddy or pal is a good translation.  It can also be equivalent to the American slang "dude".

I think its original meaning in Persian was probably sweetheart, lover, or close friend, as shown in Persian literature and by its Skt. cognate _jaara-_, which means lover, paramour, or confidential friend.  Years ago I had originally thought _yaar,_ in the sense of lover, was probably connected to _pyaar._


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## Qureshpor

^^ Somehow "buddies" or "dudes" does n't quite match the register of the language used in the Ghazal from which this couplet has been quoted! Could "yaaroN" be simply translated as "friends" or is there something more to it?


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## marrish

^Companions, colleagues, other poets... those pretending to be friends... perhaps more context of this _shi3r_ would be helpful in ascertaining the connotations.


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## Faylasoof

QURESHPOR said:


> ^^ Somehow "buddies" or "dudes" does n't quite match the register of the language used in the Ghazal from which this couplet has been quoted! Could "yaaroN" be simply translated as "friends" or is there something more to it?


 QP SaaHib, I think here it means just "friends / colleagues/ peers".


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## Wolverine9

QURESHPOR said:


> ^^ Somehow "buddies" or "dudes" does n't quite match the register of the language used in the Ghazal from which this couplet has been quoted! Could "yaaroN" be simply translated as "friends" or is there something more to it?



I meant buddy or dude in the context UM described - everyday spoken Urdu.  In the Ghazal it probably means "friends" or "companions" as marrish and Faylasoof mentioned.  "Lovers" or "sweethearts" would sound odd in this context.


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## Qureshpor

Faylasoof said:


> QP SaaHib, I think here it means just "friends / colleagues/ peers".


Thank you, Faylasoof SaaHib. A shi3r by Zauq also uses "yaaroN".

nah hu'aa par nah hu'aa Miir Kaa andaaz nasiib
Zauq *yaaroN* ne bahut zor ghazal meN maaraa

Would you say this is being used in the same sense?


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## Faylasoof

QURESHPOR said:


> Thank you, Faylasoof SaaHib. A shi3r by Zauq also uses "yaaroN".
> 
> nah hu'aa par nah hu'aa Miir Kaa andaaz nasiib
> Zauq *yaaroN* ne bahut zor ghazal meN maaraa
> 
> Would you say this is being used in the same sense?


 QP SaaHib, it is clearly the same meaning of "friends / colleagues/ peers". One could even say that he means _rivals_ here but uses _yaaroN_ as a form of sarcasm!


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## Qureshpor

Faylasoof said:


> QP SaaHib, it is clearly the same meaning of "friends / colleagues/ peers". One could even say that he means _rivals_ here but uses _yaaroN_ as a form of sarcasm!


This is exactly the meaning I had in my mind, Faylasoof SaaHib. "yaaroN" said sarcastically for "rivals", by both the poets. Zauq, obviously includes himself in this category of rivals/competitors.


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## Faylasoof

QURESHPOR said:


> Originally Posted by *Faylasoof*                                   QP SaaHib, it is clearly the same meaning of "friends / colleagues/ peers". One could even say that he means _rivals_ here but uses _yaaroN_ as a form of sarcasm!
> 
> 
> 
> This is exactly the meaning I had in my mind, Faylasoof SaaHib. "yaaroN" said sarcastically for "rivals", by both the poets. Zauq, obviously includes himself in this category of rivals/competitors.
Click to expand...

 Yes, Zauq is definitely including himself in this! Incidentally, your "peers" can also be (in fact often enough are) your "rivals!


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## marrish

Faylasoof said:


> Yes, Zauq is definitely including himself in this! Incidentally, your "peers" can also be (in fact often enough are) your "rivals!


We seem to have an agreement on this! I also suggested it:  Companions, colleagues, other poets... those pretending to be friends...


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## Qureshpor

marrish said:


> We seem to have an agreement on this! I also suggested it:  Companions, colleagues, other poets... those pretending to be friends...


You did indeed. And I think we have a consensus on the use of "yaaroN" by the two poets.


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## marrish

QURESHPOR said:


> You did indeed. And I think we have a consensus on the use of "yaaroN" by the two poets.


All three of us! It goes along the lines of a negative, or sarcastic usage of ''_yaar_''. BTW, the famous shi3r of _daaGh SaaHib_, is it a stand-alone _shi3r_ or has it constituted a part of a Ghazal?


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## Qureshpor

marrish said:


> All three of us! It goes along the lines of a negative, or sarcastic usage of ''_yaar_''. BTW, the famous shi3r of _daaGh SaaHib_, is it a stand-alone _shi3r_ or has it constituted a part of a Ghazal?


It is the maqta3 (the final shi3r) of a Ghazal which has its matla3 (the opening verse) as:

phire raah se vuh yahaaN aate aate
ajal mar rahii tuu kahaaN aate aate


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## tonyspeed

Could one say : "meraa yaar hai vo" or would you have to use "vo meraa jigarii dost hai"?


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## littlepond

Well, of course, one can say "voh meraa yaar hai": but "yaar" and "jigarii dost" do not mean the same thing. "yaar" can mean (1) a pal or (2) someone you sleep with. "jigarii dost" means, on the other hand, a close friend.


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