وای

Persian

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ˈwaːj/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [wɑːj]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [wɑːj]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [wäj]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [vɒːj]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [vɔj]

Readings
Classical reading^?	wāy
Dari reading^?	wāy
Iranian reading^?	vây
Tajik reading^?	voy

Etymology 1

PIE word
*wáy

From Proto-Iranian *wáy, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *wáy, eventually from Proto-Indo-European *wáy.

Cognate with Latin vae, English woe. Similar words also exist in Semitic, compare Aramaic וָי (wāy), Arabic وَيْلٌ (waylun).

Interjection

وای • (wāy / vây) (Tajik spelling вой)

woe!, alas!, oh dear!

Descendants

→ Azerbaijani: vay
→ Kashmiri: واے (vāy)
→ Ottoman Turkish: وای (vay)
- Turkish: vay

Etymology 2

Interjection

وای • (wāy / vây)

alternative form of (wā / vâ, “hey!”)