29 Kurdish idioms and expressions: what they mean

An idiom says one thing and means another. When a Kurd says Dilê min sar bû, nobody worries about their health: “my heart became cold” simply means “I lost interest”.

This guide collects 29 idioms from the ZimanGo lessons in the two big written standards of Kurdish: Kurmancî (Northern Kurdish, written in Latin letters) and Soranî (Central Kurdish, written in an Arabic-based script). Each table gives the Kurmancî, the Soranî, the word-for-word picture and what the idiom really means.

Dilê min sar bû. دڵم سارد بوو. My heart became cold: I lost interest

Heart idioms

The heart, dil in Kurmancî and دڵ dil in Soranî, is where Kurdish keeps its feelings. A cold heart has lost interest, a warm heart has been touched, and a shared heart means people stand together.

Cold and warm use the same words as the weather report: sar is cold and germ is hot. So when someone tells you Dilê min germ bû, your kind words have done their job.

Soranî packs “my” into the end of the word: “my heart” is the single word دڵم, while Kurmancî says Dilê min. Kurdish has more heart pictures, like Dilê wî zêr e, “his heart is gold”, for a kind person. You will find them in I love you in Kurdish.

Eyes, face and mouth

Eyes stand for attention and understanding. Opening your eyes means you finally see what is going on, and using your eyes a lot means you notice everything. Red eyes are a warning sign: someone is angry.

The white face needs a short explanation. In Kurmancî, a white face stands for honour and a good name, so Bi rûyê min spî bû means you were proven right or made proud. The opposite picture, a black face, stands for shame.

Devê min av jê tê works just like the English “my mouth is watering”.

Hands, head and brain

Hands are about work and help. Kurdish says “hand in hand” for teamwork, exactly as English does, and doing something “by your own hand” means you need nobody’s help.

Bi tiliyek werzîşê dikim is a modern, playful one. “I exercise with one finger” means the only thing getting a workout is the finger sliding up your phone screen.

Sere xwe bişo is the trickiest one in the list. It has nothing to do with shampoo: it means getting rid of someone or something.

Home, bread and salt

Two idioms come straight from Kurdish hospitality. You will hear both around a table full of guests.

Mala te ava is a thank-you wrapped in a blessing: it wishes that the other person’s home may flourish and prosper. Guests often say it to their host. There are more ways to thank people in thank you in Kurdish.

Bread, nan, and salt, xwê, are the simplest things a host can offer. In Kurdish homes, as in many neighbouring cultures, sharing them is a sign of trust and gratitude. Eating them together creates a bond, and breaking that bond is seen as disloyal.

Roads, work and problems

The last group is closer to everyday speech. Some of these sound almost literal in English, and that is useful too: they show the natural Kurdish way to say something, which is not always the word-for-word one.

Rêya min temam bû sounds like the end of a story in English, but it is simply what a traveller says on arrival: I am here.

How to remember Kurdish idioms

Learn the picture first. The literal meaning is a memory hook: once you can see a cold heart or red eyes, the real meaning sticks.

Kurdish, like English, builds many idioms on parts of the body, though it does not always pick the same part for the same idea. Most of the idioms above use a handful of everyday words:

Stick to one dialect at the start. The pictures are usually the same in Kurmancî and Soranî, but the grammar around them is not. Our guide to Kurmancî vs Soranî explains the main differences.

Finally, say them out loud. In the ZimanGo app, idioms have their own exercise type, and the Gotin wall collects quotes and proverbs that learners vote on.