این چیست؟
in chist?
What is this?
Phrase in 30 Seconds
The essential Persian phrase used to identify any object you encounter.
- Means: 'What is this?' (literal and figurative)
- Used in: Shopping, classrooms, and daily life when pointing at objects.
- Don't confuse: 'In chist?' (What is this?) with 'In kist?' (Who is this?).
Explanation at your level:
Bedeutung
A question to identify an object nearby.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Iranian hospitality, if you ask 'In chist?' about something in a host's home, they might feel obligated to offer it to you as a gift. Be careful what you admire too much! In Dari Persian, the phrase is often pronounced 'In chist?' or 'In chi ast?' more distinctly than in Tehran. Tajik Persian uses the Cyrillic script: Ин чист? It remains one of the most stable phrases across all Persian dialects.
Point and Learn
This is the best phrase for 'immersion' learning. Use it constantly to learn new nouns.
The Person Rule
Never use this for people. It's like calling a person 'it' in English.
Bedeutung
A question to identify an object nearby.
Point and Learn
This is the best phrase for 'immersion' learning. Use it constantly to learn new nouns.
The Person Rule
Never use this for people. It's like calling a person 'it' in English.
Go Informal
If you want to sound like a local, start using 'In chiye?' as soon as you feel comfortable.
Teste dich selbst
How do you ask 'What is this?' in a formal way?
___ چیست؟
'In' means 'this'.
Complete the informal version of the phrase.
این ____؟
'Chiye' is the informal contraction of 'Chi' + 'ast'.
Match the phrase to the correct target.
If you are pointing at a person, which do you use?
'Kist' is for people (Who), 'Chist' is for things (What).
Complete the dialogue.
A: این چیست؟ B: این یک ___ است.
You need a noun (apple) to answer 'What is this?'.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Häufig gestellte Fragen
6 FragenIt is formal but polite. You will see it in books and hear it in news, but 'In chiye' is better for friends.
Yes, you can use it for animals, though 'In che heyvani ast?' (What animal is this?) is also common.
The plural is 'In-ha chistand?' (What are these?), but often people just use the singular for a group of objects.
Start with 'In...' then the object name, then 'ast'. Example: 'In sib ast.'
No, Persian has no grammatical gender. 'In chist' works for everything!
Yes, that is the uncontracted formal version. It's very clear but slightly less common than 'chist'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
این کیست؟
similarWho is this?
آن چیست؟
similarWhat is that?
اسم این چیه؟
specialized formWhat is the name of this?
این چیه دیگه؟
builds onWhat on earth is this?
Wo du es verwendest
At the Fruit Stand
Learner: ببخشید، این چیست؟ (Excuse me, what is this?)
Vendor: این خرمالو است. (This is a persimmon.)
In the Classroom
Student: استاد، این چیست؟ (Professor, what is this?)
Teacher: این یک فعل است. (This is a verb.)
Receiving a Gift
Friend: بیا، این برای توست. (Here, this is for you.)
You: وای، این چیه؟ (Wow, what's this?)
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'In' as 'In my hand' (this) and 'Chist' as 'Cheese' - 'In my hand, what is this cheese?'
Visual Association
Imagine a giant question mark sitting on top of a box that you are pointing at.
Rhyme
In chist? / List! (Make a list of what this is!)
Story
You walk into a Persian bazaar. You see a strange purple fruit. You point and say 'In chist?'. The vendor smiles and says 'Anar!' (Pomegranate).
Word Web
Herausforderung
Go around your room and point at 5 objects, asking 'In chist?' and then answering 'In [object] ast.'
In Other Languages
¿Qué es esto?
Spanish often places the verb before the subject.
Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
Persian is much more concise than French in this instance.
Was ist das?
German uses 'das' for both this and that in this context.
これは何ですか？ (Kore wa nan desu ka?)
Japanese requires a topic marker (wa) and a question particle (ka).
ما هذا؟ (Ma hadha?)
Persian requires the verb 'ast' (or its contraction), whereas Arabic does not.
Easily Confused
Learners mix up 'Chi' (What) and 'Ki' (Who).
Remember 'Chi' sounds like 'Cheese' (a thing), and 'Ki' sounds like 'Key' (which a person uses).
Mixing up 'What' and 'Where'.
'Koja' means where. Think of 'Co-location'.
FAQ (6)
It is formal but polite. You will see it in books and hear it in news, but 'In chiye' is better for friends.
Yes, you can use it for animals, though 'In che heyvani ast?' (What animal is this?) is also common.
The plural is 'In-ha chistand?' (What are these?), but often people just use the singular for a group of objects.
Start with 'In...' then the object name, then 'ast'. Example: 'In sib ast.'
No, Persian has no grammatical gender. 'In chist' works for everything!
Yes, that is the uncontracted formal version. It's very clear but slightly less common than 'chist'.
