Ezâfe after Silent He: ه‌ی

Many Persian words end in ه that represents a final vowel e, not a consonant h: خانه khâne, نامه nâme, بچه bachche. When ezâfe follows that vowel, Persian pronounces the linker -ye and this guide writes it ه‌ی: خانه‌ی من khâne-ye man. The sequence is final ه + ZWNJ + Persian ی, and the half-space is part of correct modern spelling.

This boundary is unusually helpful because ezâfe is invisible after most consonants. English speakers may initially treat ی as a possessive word or read it as long i. Neither analysis is right. It is the written carrier of the glide y that allows final e to flow into the ezâfe vowel. For the larger pattern after all vowels, see Ezâfe after Vowels.

Build ه‌ی as one orthographic unit

The standard form used throughout this guide is mechanical:

The ZWNJ prevents the ی from joining graphically to ه while keeping the sequence inside one orthographic word. An ordinary space makes خانه ی look like two words; deleting the boundary produces خانهی, an unacceptable joined spelling. The letter must be Persian ی U+06CC, not Arabic ي.

The sound is -ye, never a glottal break

The modern Iranian pronunciation is a smooth -ye: khâne-ye, nâme-ye, hafte-ye. Historical and alternative typography can obscure that fact. The small sign in خانهٔ is conventionally called hamza in Unicode and traditional descriptions, but in this Persian function it does not instruct you to insert a glottal stop. This guide consistently generates خانه‌ی, following its declared house style.

The yeh is written because a vowel-final host needs a glide. It is not plural ی, indefinite ی, or a possessive pronoun. Those morphemes may look similar, but their position and meaning differ.

Silent ه versus pronounced h

Not every final ه is silent. In راه râh, ماه mâh, کوه kuh, and شاه shâh, the final letter represents consonantal h. These words take ordinary consonant-final -e, which remains unwritten in normal text: راه باریک râh-e bârik, not a form in ه‌ی.

Bare ه and linked ه‌ی form a meaningful contrast

When no dependent follows, the base remains bare. Compare a predicative adjective, which belongs to the clause, with an attributive adjective inside the noun phrase:

In the first sentence, خالی is the predicate, so there is no ezâfe after خانه. In the second, خالی directly modifies خانه, so ه‌ی appears. This is syntax made visible: the same noun ending changes only when the following word belongs inside its noun phrase.

House style and variants you will encounter

Published Persian has not always represented this boundary identically. خانهٔ من and the precomposed-looking خانۀ من occur in older typography and in other editorial styles; both normally represent the same pronunciation khâne-ye man. Some informal digital writing omits the marker altogether. These are real reading variants, not different grammar.

For production in this guide, however, only خانه‌ی من is accepted. It exposes the morpheme clearly, preserves a searchable base word, and follows the repository's Unicode contract. خانه ی من with a full space and خانهی من without a ZWNJ are rejected spellings here. The writing-system page on final ه develops the Unicode details.

Formal and informal speech

In (informal, regional: Tehran) speech, common stems may change: خانه khâne becomes خونه khune. The grammatical linker remains -ye and the same boundary spelling applies when colloquial speech is being represented.

The two sentences are valid alternatives in different registers. The contrast is in خونه/خانه, خیلی/بسیار, and روشنه/روشن است—not in the presence of ezâfe.

Typing and proofreading the boundary

The ZWNJ is invisible, so visual inspection alone is not always enough. Put the cursor after final ه: one movement should cross the hidden boundary before it reaches ی. Searching for ه‌ی or revealing Unicode characters in an editor can also distinguish the correct sequence from a space or a directly joined form. This matters when text moves between a phone, word processor, and website; automatic “cleanup” can silently delete the half-space.

Proofread morphology before typography. First decide whether a dependent truly follows خانه, نامه, or بچه. If the next adjective is predicative, as in خانه خالی است, no linker exists and no ی should appear. If a modifier or possessor follows, supply spoken -ye and then verify ه + ZWNJ + ی. This order prevents learners from adding the visible sequence mechanically after every final ه.

Do not solve a keyboard problem by inserting kasre into normal target text. Full vowel marks are useful in the hidden spoken form and in explicit analysis, but the learner-facing spelling should remain the natural unvowelized form readers meet in contemporary Iran.

Common Mistakes

1. Leaving out the written boundary

2. Replacing the ZWNJ with a space

3. Joining ی directly to ه

4. Reading the linker as long i

5. Adding ه‌ی after a pronounced h

The key is to separate sound from typography without losing either. Final vowel e triggers spoken -ye; the standard boundary writes that relation as ه‌ی. Final consonant h triggers ordinary -e and leaves no visible linker.

Key Takeaways

• Silent final ه represents e, so a following ezâfe is pronounced -ye.
• This guide always writes the boundary ه + ZWNJ + Persian ی: ه‌ی.
• راه and ماه end in pronounced h, so their ezâfe is invisible -e, not ه‌ی.
• Alternative older typography may encode the same grammar, but production here follows the modern ZWNJ convention.