Notes on Pronunciation of Bahá'í Names

The Bahá'í Faith originated in Persia (now Iran) in the mid-19th century. Since then, the Faith has spread to all corners of the globe, and its writings have been translated into over 800 languages. However, some of the names and terms used in Bahá'í literature can seem somewhat foreign to Westerners, particularly Americans of European descent.

Because these names were translated from the Persian script into the western alphabet using standard linguistic rules, they contain lots of accents, apostrophes and dashes. As a result, if you've never heard any of these names spoken, they may seem impossible to pronounce. Relax! They're actually quite easy, once you've seen them written phonetically. Try saying the following words:

*Syllables in italics are emphasized

Based on the system of transliteration established at one of the International Oriental Congresses, the following general guidelines can be used to determine the pronunciation of Persian words:

th is pronounced as s
dh is pronounced as z
zh is pronounced as a French j, as in Jacques
s is pronounced as s
d is pronounced as z
t is pronounced as t
z is pronounced as z
a is pronounced as in account
á is pronounced as in arm
i is pronounced as e in best
í is pronounced as ee in meet
u is pronounced as o in short
ú is pronounced as oo in moon

As with anything new we come in contact with, some of these names and terms will seem strange and foreign for a while. To keep this in perspective, imagine how strange and foreign the names of the Apostles and of Jesus Christ must have seemed in the early days of Christianity. Today, these names are so integrated into our own language that we tend to forget that each new religion necessarily involves new ideas and new names, all of which require some getting used to.

Even though most of us don't know Hebrew or Aramaic, we accept them as two of the original languages of the Bible. The original languages for the sacred Bahá'í Writings are Persian and Arabic.