ی (ye) is the 32nd letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced y, as in “yes”, or the long vowel i, as in یک (yek, one).
How to write ی (ye)
Persian is written from right to left, and most letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. These are the four forms of ی:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| ی | یـ | ـیـ | ـی |
ی joins the letter that comes after it.
How to pronounce ی (ye)
As a consonant ی is y, as in "yes". It also writes the long vowel i, as in "see".
Persian words with ی
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where ی is |
|---|---|---|---|
| یک | yek | one | start |
| یخ | yakh | ice | start |
| یکشنبه | yekshanbe | Sunday | start |
| سیب | sib | apple | middle |
| شیر | shir | milk; lion | middle |
| میز | miz | table | middle |
| ماهی | mâhi | fish | end |
| چای | chây | tea | end |
Good to know
- Persian ی has no dots when it stands alone or ends a word, as in ماهی (mâhi), but has two dots at the start and in the middle, as in سیب (sib).
- ی can be the consonant y, as in یک (yek), or the vowel i, as in سیب (sib).
- An ی added to the end of a word often means ‘a’ or ‘one’, as in کتابی (ketâbi, a book).
Quiz: the letter ی
Check yourself on ی (ye): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does ی (ye) make?
2. Which word starts with ی?
3. What does یخ (yakh) mean?
4. Does ی join the letter that comes after it?
5. What is the name of the letter ی?
6. Where is ی in the word سیب (sib, apple)?
7. What is the position of ی in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- A. y, i: ی is pronounced y, i. As a consonant ی is y, as in “yes”.
- D. یک (yek): یک (yek) means “one” and begins with ی.
- C. ice: یخ (yakh) means “ice”.
- B. Yes, it joins the next letter: ی joins the next letter, so it has four forms.
- B. ye: ی is called ye.
- A. In the middle: In سیب, ی comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- C. 32nd: ی is the 32nd letter: ا ب پ ت ث ج چ ح خ د ذ ر ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن و ه ی
Common questions
How do you pronounce ی in Persian?
ی (ye) is pronounced y, i. As a consonant ی is y, as in “yes”. It also writes the long vowel i, as in “see”.
Does ی connect to the next letter?
Yes. ی joins the letter after it, so it has four forms: on its own, at the start, in the middle and at the end of a word.
Why does ی lose its dots at the end of a word?
That is how the letter is written in Persian: the final and stand-alone forms have no dots, while the start and middle forms have two. Arabic writes the final form with two dots, which is a common source of confusion.
The Farsi alphabet (Farsi: /alefbâye fârsi/ الفبای فارسی) consists 32 letters, most of which have two forms, short and full. In Farsi, words are written from right to left while numbers are written from left to right. Farsi is a writing style based on the Arabic script. It is entirely written cursively. That is, the majority of letters in a word connect to each other. Therefore, the appearance of a letter changes depending on its position: beginning (joined on the left), middle (joined on both sides), end (joined on the right) of a word and some letters are written isolated.
This writing style is also implemented on computers. Whenever the Farsi script is typed, the computer connects the letters to each other.
Following is a table showing the Farsi alphabet and how it is pronounced in English. There are also some examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| چ | ج | ث | ت | پ | ب | الف | |
| ش | س | ژ | ز | ر | ذ | د | خ |
| ق | ف | غ | ع | ظ | ط | ض | ص |
| ی | ه | و | ن | م | ل | گ | ک |
ی – یـ
“ی – یـ” /ye/ is the thirty second letter of the Persian alphabet. It has three sounds, /ye/ like “y” in “yes”, /e/ like “e” in “men”, and /i/ like “ee” in “meet”.
“ی” has three forms. “یـ” is the short form and “ی” is the full format. “ی” sometimes is written as “ای” and sounds /i/ like “i” in “trip”.
How to write it:
Sample Words:
 |
 |
 |
| سیب | بیدار | سینی |
| Previous< |
Take this lesson further
Serious about Persian? Get all 30 of our Persian learning books for $199.99 (55% less than buying them one by one).
Free Persian Starter Pack: Alphabet + 100 Core Words
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.
Practise with free Persian games
Read Enthusiastically
Listen Carefully
Practice! Practice! Practice!
Communicate!
Free Persian Starter Pack: Alphabet + 100 Core Words
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.
Practise with free Persian games
Free Persian Starter Pack: Alphabet + 100 Core Words
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.