Farsi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "آبی" in Farsi?

Say "AH-bee" — a long 'ā' like the 'a' in 'father', then a plain 'b', then a short, crisp 'ee' sound.

آبی /ɒːˈbi/

ābi

Two syllables, with stress on the final syllable "bi."

Listen: آبی

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Sound it out

آ A long 'ā' vowel, like the 'a' in 'father'. The small wavy mark (madda) on this alef signals the long vowel right at the start of the word.

ب The consonant 'b', plain as in English.

ی A short 'i' vowel, like the 'y' in 'happy' or the 'ee' in 'see' but clipped.

Hear it in a sentence

آسمان آبی است.

Āsemān ābi ast.

The sky is blue.

Listen: آسمان آبی است.

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"Āsemān ābi ast" (The sky is blue) is a simple noun + adjective + "is" sentence. Many Persian color words ending in ی are built from a noun plus this relational suffix — ābi literally comes from āb ("water") plus -i, roughly "watery" in origin, which is how Persian arrived at its word for "blue."

Where English speakers slip

Don't shorten the opening آ into a quick English "a" (as in "cat") — it's a genuinely long "ā" (the "father" vowel). Also keep the final ی as its own full syllable, "-bi," rather than letting it fade away.