ریا

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic رِيَاء (riyāʔ).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ɾi.jɑː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ri.jɑː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ri.jɑː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ri.jɑː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ri.jɔː]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ɹi.jɒː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ɾi.jɔ]

Readings
Classical reading?	riyā
Dari reading?	riyā
Iranian reading?	riyâ
Tajik reading?	riyo

Noun

Dari	ریا
Iranian Persian
Tajik	рийо

ریا • (riyâ)

1. hypocrisy, dissimulation
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 3392:

     کاین نمازم را میامیز ای خدا
     با نماز ضالین و اهل ریا

     kên namâz-am râ may-amîz ay xudâ
     bâ namâz-i-zâlin u ahl-i-riyâ

     That is to say, “O God, do not mingle my prayer
     with the prayer of the erring and the hypocrites.”

Related terms

• ریاکار (riyâkâr)
• ریاکاری (riyâkâri)

References

Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “ریا”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim