زر نزن (Zar nazan)
What does زر نزن (Zar nazan) mean? زر نزن (Zar nazan) is a Dari moderate that translates to “shut it / stop yapping / quit your bullshit” in English.
Literal Translation
don't talk / don't babble
Meaning & Usage
"shut it / stop yapping / quit your bullshit"
'Zar zadan' means to talk incessantly, to babble, to prattle on without saying anything of substance. 'Zar nazan' is the command to stop doing it. It's dismissive — it says not just 'be quiet' but 'nothing you're saying is worth hearing.'
Examples in the Wild
زر نزن بچه، تو چه میفامی. (Zar nazan bacha, to che mefami. - Stop babbling kid, what do you know.) — Dismissing someone younger or less experienced.
Regional Variations
Standard casual usage
Less common; 'gap nazan' preferred
When to Use It
Context
- Casual conversations with friends
- Informal settings where profanity is accepted
- As a spontaneous exclamation
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
This is distinctly Kabuli slang. In Herat or Mazar-i-Sharif you'd hear different expressions, but in Kabul, 'zar nazan' is the default dismissal among young men. It's also heavily used in Afghan social media arguments — typed in Latin script as 'zar nazan' on Facebook comments about politics, which is most Facebook comments in Afghanistan.
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“I fucked your sister”
Declaring sexual intercourse with the target's sister.
لعنتی (Lanati)
“damn / goddamn / cursed”
Someone upon whom God's curse (la'nat) has fallen. In everyday use it functions exactly like the English 'damn' — versatile, moderate, and everywhere. 'In telefon-e lanati' (this damn phone) is something every Kabuli says daily. But in its religious sense, being cursed by God is eternal damnation.
بد کاره (Bad kara)
“whore / sex worker (euphemism)”
The Afghan euphemism for a sex worker — someone whose 'work' (kaar) is 'bad.' It's the word people use when they want to accuse a woman of prostitution without using the explicit 'jenda' (whore) or the formal 'fahisha.' The euphemistic nature actually makes it more common in everyday speech, because it's considered less vulgar to say.
دیوث (Dayus)
“cuck / shameless bastard”
A man who is indifferent to his wife's adultery, or actively pimps her out.
الاغ (Olagh)
“jackass / stubborn fool”
A second word for donkey — used interchangeably with 'khar' but with a slightly more literary, formal register. It's the donkey-insult you'd hear from an educated person rather than a street vendor. Same meaning: stupid, stubborn, and unable to learn. Afghan Dari borrowed 'olagh' from Turkish, while 'khar' is pure Persian.
نامرد (Namard)
“coward / traitor / backstabber”
This is one of the most loaded words in Afghan masculinity. It doesn't just mean coward — it means someone who broke a promise, betrayed a trust, or abandoned someone in need. A namard is someone whose word means nothing. In a culture built on oral agreements and personal honor, this can end friendships and start blood feuds.
پفیوز (Pofyooz)
“limp dick / useless bastard”
An old word for a useless, pathetic man with no backbone.
ناکس (Nakas)
“worthless nobody / scoundrel”
Someone who is practically not a human being because of their low morals.