Farsi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "قوی" in Farsi?

Say "gha-VEE," with a raspy gh at the start and stress on the final long-ee syllable.

قوی /ɣæˈviː/

ghavi

Stress falls on the final syllable, VI; the opening gha is short and unstressed.

Listen: قوی

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Sound it out

ق the same raspy, back-of-the-throat sound as in ghadimi and dāgh — deeper and more gargled than an English g — followed by a short "a" as in "cat."

و here و acts as a consonant, v, exactly like English "v" in "van" — not a vowel this time.

ی a long "ee" as in "see," carrying the stress and closing the word.

Hear it in a sentence

او خیلی قوی است.

U kheyli ghavi ast.

He/She is very strong.

Listen: او خیلی قوی است.

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"U kheyli ghavi ast" ("He/She is very strong") introduces kheyli ("very"), a common intensifier that sits right before the adjective it modifies, exactly like English "very" — a handy word to pair with any adjective in this whole list.

Where English speakers slip

The letter و here is a consonant "v," not the long "oo" vowel it represents in words like khub — learners who've learned one value for و often misread it as "ghoo-i" instead of the correct "gha-vi." Also keep the raspy ق distinct from a plain English g.