Persian Ezafe Detector

Finding the invisible linker in Persian

Persian writes most short vowels invisibly, and the most important of them is the ezafe — the -e that ties a noun to whatever describes or possesses it. Beginners constantly mis-read phrases because the linker is not on the page. This tool scans your text and flags where the ezafe most likely belongs, and in which form.

How it works

The ezafe links a head noun to a following modifier, so the tool examines each gap between adjacent words and decides whether a link is plausible:

کتاب  بزرگ  من   ->  ketab -e bozorg -e man
"book" "big"  "my"      book-EZAFE big-EZAFE my

A gap is flagged unless the first word is a known preposition or conjunction, or the second word begins a new clause (for example va, ke, the copula ast, or a preposition). For each flagged gap the form is chosen by the first word’s final letter: vowel-final words ا و ه ی take -ye, everything else takes -e.

Tips and notes

The default phrase کتاب بزرگ من (“my big book”) shows two ezafe links in a row, which is normal — a chain of modifiers each gets its own linker. Because Persian leaves vowels unwritten, no purely lexical tool can be perfect; treat the flags as a learning aid and confirm them against meaning. For other invisible-pronunciation rules, see the Arabic sun/moon letter checker and the Hindi schwa deletion helper.

Understanding the -e vs -ye rule

The two forms of the ezafe exist purely for phonological smoothness — they prevent two vowels from clashing:

• After a consonant-final word, the ezafe is a simple -e (sometimes shown in fully vocalized text as a kasra ِ under the last letter). Example: کتاب (ketāb, ends in a consonant) + بزرگ (bozorg) → کتابِ بزرگ, read ketāb-e bozorg.
• After a vowel-final word, the ezafe becomes -ye so the two vowels do not collide. Example: خانه (khāne, ends in silent ه representing /e/) + بزرگ → خانه‌ی بزرگ, read khāne-ye bozorg.

In modern informal Persian writing, the -ye form is often written with a yā ی attached to the word, separated by a zero-width non-joiner (ZWNJ): خانه‌ی. In fully vocalized classical texts, it appears as a superscript hamze or kasra-ye. The tool detects vowel-final words by checking the last written letter against the set ا و ه ی.

Why ezafe chains can be long

Persian noun phrases stack modifiers after the head noun, with each modifier connected to the previous by its own ezafe. This creates chains that can be three, four, or more links long:

استاد  دانشگاه  تهران  بزرگ
(the great professor of the University of Tehran)
استادِ دانشگاهِ تهرانِ بزرگ

Each gap in this chain carries an ezafe because each word modifies the one before it. English reverses the order (modifier before head), so a Persian noun phrase often looks “inside-out” to English speakers. The tool’s chain of flags corresponds directly to that stacking structure.

Where the ezafe does NOT appear

Knowing where ezafe is absent is as important as knowing where it occurs:

• Between a preposition and its object: از کتاب (az ketāb, “from the book”) — no ezafe.
• Between a verb and its subject or complement.
• After indefinite or demonstrative markers like ی or این.
• Across a sentence boundary or clause break.

The detector’s stop-word list catches the most common prepositions and clause-starting particles. For compound predicates and complex syntax, always confirm the flags against the intended meaning and consult a grammar reference.