Azizan
Persian bedtime phrases for kids: goodnight, story openers and endings
The Persian for goodnight is shab bekheir (شب بخیر), and a story traditionally opens with yeki bud, yeki nabud (یکی بود، یکی نبود, 'there was one, there wasn't one'). A few repeated phrases are enough to make a bedtime routine feel Persian, even if the rest of the evening is in English. Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app where relatives record themselves reading Persian children's stories; this page is a short phrase list for parents raising Persian-speaking children abroad.
Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app for immigrant and diaspora families: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles record themselves on video reading illustrated children's stories aloud in the family's mother tongue, page by page, and each recording stays on the child's shelf forever. Real family voices — never AI narration. Persian (Farsi) first.
Phrases for the bedtime routine
| English | Persian | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Goodnight | شب بخیر | shab be-KHAIR |
| Sleep well / sweet dreams (literally: may you see good dreams) | خواب خوش ببینی | khaab-e khosh be-bee-NEE |
| Close your eyes | چشمات رو ببند | chesh-MAAT ro be-BAND (spoken form) |
| Time for a story | وقت قصه است | vakht-e GHES-seh as |
These are common spoken forms; families vary, and relatives from other regions may say them differently. Use the version your own family says.
Story openers and endings
- یکی بود، یکی نبود (yeki bud, yeki nabud): the traditional way into a Persian tale, often followed by "زیرِ گنبدِ کبود" (under the blue dome, i.e. the sky) in some tellings.
- قصهی ما به سر رسید، کلاغه به خونهاش نرسید (gheseh-ye ma be sar resid, kalagheh be khuneh-ash narresid): a well-known playful ending, spoken form. Many families have their own variation.
We have not found a reliable source for how old these formulas are, so we do not claim an origin; we only know they are widely used in Persian storytelling.
A simple routine
- Keep the same three phrases every night: an opener, "شب بخیر" and a closer. Repetition is what children remember.
- Say the opener before the story starts, even when you read an English book. It is a cue, not a lesson.
- Let a relative say them. A grandparent on video who opens the story with "یکی بود، یکی نبود" gives the child the phrase and the voice together.
- No quizzes. If the child answers in English, keep going.
Where Azizan fits in
On Azizan, a grandparent, aunt, uncle or parent records themselves reading an illustrated Persian story, page by page, so the child hears the opening and ending phrases in a familiar voice. See how grandparents abroad record bedtime stories and Persian bedtime stories for kids.
Related guides
- Persian proverbs for kids
- Persian bedtime stories
- Count to ten in Persian for kids
- Happy birthday in Persian for kids
- Short classic Persian poems for kids
Questions
How do you say goodnight in Persian?
شب بخیر (shab bekheir). To wish someone good dreams you can add خواب خوش ببینی (khaab-e khosh bebini).
How do Persian stories begin?
Traditionally with یکی بود، یکی نبود (yeki bud, yeki nabud), roughly 'there was one, there wasn't one'.
How do Persian stories end?
A well-known playful ending is قصهی ما به سر رسید، کلاغه به خونهاش نرسید. Families use many variations.
Do I need to speak Persian to use these phrases?
No. Three repeated phrases a night are enough; you can read the rest of the story in any language.
Are these phrases the same in Dari and Tajik?
Some are shared and others differ by country and region. This page uses the Persian of Iran; ask your relatives which they use.
Open Azizan — record a story for your childUpdated: 2026-11-03 · By Aida Fard
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