دشمن

Azerbaijani

Noun

دشمن (düşmən) (definite accusative دشمنی (düşməni), plural دشمنلر (düşmənlər))

1. Arabic spelling of düşmən (“enemy”)

Declension

Declension of دشمن

	singular	plural
nominative	دشمن	دشمنلر
definite accusative	دشمنی	دشمنلری
dative	دشمنه	دشمنلره
locative	دشمنده	دشمنلرده
ablative	دشمندن	دشمنلردن
definite genitive	دشمنین	دشمنلرین

Baluchi

Noun

دشمن • (dušman)

1. enemy

See also

• دژمن (dužman)

Khalaj

Noun

دُشمَن (duşman) (definite accusative دُشمَنؽ, plural دُشمَنلار)

1. Arabic spelling of duşman (“enemy”)

Declension

Declension of دشمن

	singular	plural
nominative	دشمن	دشمنلار
genitive	دشمنؽݧ	دشمنلارؽݧ
dative	دشمنقا	دشمنلارقا
definite accusative	دشمنؽ	دشمنلارؽ
locative	دشمنچا	دشمنلارچا
ablative	دشمندا	دشمنلاردا
instrumental	دشمنلا	دشمنلارلا
equative	دشمنوارا	دشمنلاروارا

Ottoman Turkish

Alternative forms

• տիւշմէն (düşmen), տիւշման (düşman) — Armeno-Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian دشمن (došman).

Noun

دشمن • (düşmen, düşman)

1. enemy, foe

   Synonyms: خصم (hasm, hasım), یاغی (yağı)

   • 1927 October, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Nutuk‎^[1], page 500:

     دشمنلر و خلیفه‌لر برابر اوله‌بیلیرلر و هر شی یاپمغه تشبث ایده‌بیلیرلر. فقط ، یكی توركیه‌نك طرز اداره‌سنی ، سیاستنی ، قوتی قطعیاً صارصه‌مزلر.

     Düşmanlar ve halifeler beraber olabilirler ve her şey yapmaya teşebbüs edebilirler. Fakat, yeñi Türkiye'nin tarz idaresini, siyasetini, kuvveti katiyen sarsamazlar.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Descendants

• Turkish: düşman
• → Albanian: dushman
• → Bulgarian: душман (dušman), душманин (dušmanin)
• → Laz: დუშმენი (duşmeni), დუშმანი (duşmani)
• → Macedonian: душман (dušman)
• → Romanian: dușman, dușmancă
• → Russian: душман (dušman)
• → Serbo-Croatian: dȕšman / ду̏шман
• → Urdu: دشمن (duśman)

Persian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dews-?

Proto-Indo-European *dus-

Proto-Indo-European *men-

Proto-Indo-European *ménos

Proto-Indo-European *-s

Proto-Indo-European *dusmenēs

Proto-Indo-Iranian *dušmánās

Proto-Iranian *dušmánāh

Persian دشمن

From Middle Persian [script needed] (dwšmn'), [script needed] (dwšmyn'), 𐫅𐫇𐫢𐫖𐫏𐫗 (dwšmyn /⁠dušmēn⁠/, “enemy”), from Proto-Iranian *dušmánāh. Compare Ancient Greek δῠσμενής (dŭsmenḗs), Sanskrit दुर्मनस् (durmanas).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [duʃ.ˈman]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [d̪ʊʃ.mǽn]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [d̪ʊʃ.mǽn]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [d̪ʊʃ.mǽn]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [d̪uʃ.mǽn]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [d̪oʃ.mǽn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [d̪uʃ.mǽn]

Readings
Classical reading?	dušman
Dari reading?	dušman
Iranian reading?	došman
Tajik reading?	dušman

• Audio (Iran):

  (file)

Noun

Dari	دشمن
Iranian Persian
Tajik	душман

دُشْمَن • (došman) (plural دشمنان (došmanân))

1. enemy

   Synonym: عدو ('adov)

   Antonym: دوسْت (dust)

Inflection

Basic forms of دشمن

	singular	plural
bare	دشمن (došman)	دشمن‌ها، دشمنا△ (došman-hấ, došmanấ△)
definitive direct object	دشمن را، دشمن رو△ (došman râ, došmano△)	دشمن‌ها را، دشمنا رو△ (došman-hấ râ, došmanấ ro△)
ezâfe	دشمن (došman-e)	دشمن‌های، دشمنای△ (došman-hấ-ye, došmanấ-ye△)
marked indefinite or relative definite	دشمنی (došman-i)	دشمن‌هایی، دشمنایی△ (došmanấn-i, došman-hấ-i, došmanấi△)

^△ Colloquial.

Possessive forms of دشمن

	singular	plural
1st person singular (“my”)	دشمنم (došmanam)	دشمن‌هایم، دشمن‌هام، دشمنام△ (došman-hấyam, došmanấm△)
2nd person singular (“your”)	دشمنت (došmanat, došmanet△)	دشمن‌هایت، دشمن‌هات، دشمنات△ (došman-hấyat, došmanất△)
3rd person singular (“his, her, its”)	دشمنش (došmanaš, došmaneš△)	دشمن‌هایش، دشمن‌هاش، دشمناش△ (došman-hấyaš, došmanấš△)
1st person plural (“our”)	دشمنمان، دشمنمون△ (došmanemân, došmanemun△)	دشمن‌هایمان، دشمن‌هامون، دشمنامون△ (došman-hấyemân, došmanấmun△)
2nd person plural (“your”)	دشمنتان، دشمنتون△ (došmanetân, došmanetun△)	دشمن‌هایتان، دشمن‌هاتون، دشمناتون△ (došman-hấyetân, došmanấtun△)
3rd person plural (“their”)	دشمنشان، دشمنشون△ (došmanešân, došmanešun△)	دشمن‌هایشان، دشمن‌هاشون، دشمناشون△ (došman-hấyešân, došmanấšun△)

^△ Colloquial.

Predicative forms of دشمن (došman)

	singular	plural
1st person (“I am, we are”)	دشمنم (došmanam)	دشمنیم (došmanim)
2nd person (“you are”)	دشمنی (došmani)	دشمنید، دشمنین△ (došmanid, došmanin△)
3rd person (“he/she/it is, they are”)	دشمن است، دشمنه△ (došman ast, došmane△)	دشمنند، دشمنن△ (došmanand, došmanan△)

^△ Colloquial.

Derived terms

• دشمنی (došmani)

Descendants

• → Armenian: դուշման (dušman)
• → Assamese: দুছমন (dusomon)
• → Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܕܸܫ̃ܡܸܢ (dižmin)
• → Avar: тушман (tušman)
• → Azerbaijani: düşmən, дүшмән
• → Bashkir: дошман (doşman)
• → Bengali: দুশমন (duśmon)
• → Chuvash: тӑшман (tăšman)
• → Dhivehi: ދުށްމިނު (duṣ̊minu)
• → Eastern Mari: тушман (tušman)
• → Erzya: душман (dušman)
• → Hindi: दुश्मन (duśman)
• → Karaim: душман (duşman)
• → Kazakh: дұшпан (dūşpan)
• → Khalaj: duşman
• → Kyrgyz: душман (duşman), тушман (tuşman)
• → Moksha: душман (dušman)
• → Old Tati:

  Old Azari: دشمن (dusmon)

• → Ottoman Turkish: دشمن (düşman), دشمن (düşmen)
  • → Turkish: düşman
  • → Laz: დუშმენი (duşmeni), დუშმანი (duşmani)
  • → Bulgarian: душман (dušman), душманин (dušmanin)
  • → Macedonian: душман (dušman)
  • → Romanian: dușman, dușmancă
  • → Serbo-Croatian: ду̏шман, dȕšman
• → Marathi: दुशमन (duśman)
• → Nepali: दुस्मन (dusman), दुश्मन (duśman)
• → Punjabi: ਦੁਸ਼ਮਣ (duśmaṇ), ਦੁਸਮਣ (dusmaṇ)
• → Romani: duśman
• → Russian: душма́н (dušmán)
• → Santali: ᱫᱩᱥᱢᱚᱱ (dusmôn)
• → Southern Altai: тушман (tušman)
• → Sylheti: ꠖꠥꠡ꠆ꠝꠘ (duśmono)
• → Tatar: дошман (doşman)
• → Turkmen: душман, duşman
• → Udi: дуьшмаьн (düšmän)
• → Urdu: دُشْمَن (duśman)
• → Urum: душман (duşman)
• → Uyghur: دۈشمەن (düshmen)
• → Uzbek: dushman

References

• Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1973) “թշնամի”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume II, Yerevan: University Press, pages 191–192

Punjabi

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian دشمن (dušman). Compare Urdu دُشْمَن (duśman).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Punjabi) IPA^(key): /d̪ʊʃᵊ.məɳᵊ/
• Rhymes: -əɳᵊ

Noun

دُشْمَݨ • (duśmaṇ) m (Gurmukhi spelling ਦੁਸ਼ਮਣ)

1. enemy, villain

References

• “دشمن”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2025

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian دشمن (dušman). Compare Punjabi دُشْمَݨ (duśmaṇ).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /d̪ʊʃ.mən/

• Audio (Pakistan):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ən
• Hyphenation: دُشْ‧مَن

Noun

دُشْمَن • (duśman) m (Hindi spelling दुश्मन)

1. enemy, foe

   Synonyms: شَتْرُو (śatrū), بَیری (bairī)

   • 1904, Muhammad Iqbal, Tarānā-e-Hind :

     کُچھ بات ہَے کِہ ہَسْتی مِٹْتی نَہِیں ہَماری
     صَدِیوں رَہَا ہَے دُشْمَن دَورِ زَماں ہَمارا

     kuch bāt hai ki hastī miṭtī nahī̃ hamārī
     sadiyõ rahā hai duśman daur-i zamā̃ hamārā

     There is something about our existence for it doesn't get wiped
     Even though, for centuries, the time-cycle has been our enemy.

2. opponent

   Synonym: مُخالِف (muxālif)

Declension

Declension of دشمن

	singular	plural
direct	دُشْمَن (duśman)	دُشْمَن (duśman)
oblique	دُشْمَن (duśman)	دُشْمَنوں (duśmanõ)
vocative	دُشْمَن (duśman)	دُشْمَنو (duśmano)

Related terms

• دُشْمَنِی (duśmanī)

Further reading

• “دشمن”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “دشمن”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.
• Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971) “دشمن”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary‎, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co., page 308
• Platts, John T. (1884) “دشمن”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co., page 518
• S. W. Fallon (1879) “دشمن”, in A New Hindustani-English Dictionary, Banaras, London: Trubner and Co., page 628
• John Shakespear (1834) “دشمن”, in A dictionary, Hindustani and English: with a copious index, fitting the work to serve, also, as a dictionary of English and Hindustani, 3^rd edition, London: J.L. Cox and Son, →OCLC, page 860