Persian · noun · The Heart & the Body

Khanda

ख़ंदा
said KHAN-da
also written: Khanda, khandah, khanda-e
Meaning

A laugh; laughter, a smile.

Literally: laughter, a laugh, smile

Usage & notes

Khanda is laughter or the open smile of the beloved — brighter and fuller than the soft tabassum, the joy that breaks across the face and floods the lover with delight. The ghazal also turns it bittersweet: the beloved's laughter can mock as easily as it can bless, and the bud's smiling open (khanda-e-gul) is a stock image of beauty briefly unfolding before it fades.