فلان

Arabic

Etymology

Compare Classical Syriac ܦܠܢ (plān) and Hebrew פְּלוֹנִי (pəlônî).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fu.laːn/
  • (Kuwait, Persian Gulf) IPA^(key): /flɑn/

Noun

فُلَان • (fulān) m (feminine فُلَانَة (fulāna))

1. A placeholder name for a person, used when a name is not known; a generic name; so-and-so
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 25:28:

     يَـٰوَيۡلَتَىٰ لَيۡتَنِي لَمۡ أَتَّخِذۡ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا

     yāwaylatā laytanī lam ʔattaḵiḏ fulānan ḵalīlan

     Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend.

Declension

Declension of noun فُلَان (fulān)

singular	basic singular triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	فُلَان fulān	—	—
nominative	فُلَانٌ fulānun	—	—
accusative	فُلَانًا fulānan	—	—
genitive	فُلَانٍ fulānin	—	—

Derived terms

• فُلَانَة (fulāna)
• فُلَانِيّ (fulāniyy)
• فُلانٌ وَفُلان (fulānun wafulān) (Twelver Shiism; idiomatic)

Descendants

• Armenian: ֆիլան (filan)
• Bashkir: фәлән (fələn)
• Bengali: ফলনা (fôlôna)
• Malay: Si Fulan
• Persian: فلان (folân)
  • → Urdu: فَلاں (falāṉ)
  • → Turkmen: pylan
• → Swahili: fulani
• → Turkish: falan
• Albanian: filan
• Andalusian Arabic: فُلَان
  • Old Spanish: fulano, fulán
    • Spanish: Fulano, fulano
      • → Portuguese: fulano
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: foão
    • Portuguese: fuão

Hijazi Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic فُلان (fulān).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fuˈlaːn/

Noun

فلان • (fulān) m (feminine فلانة (fulāna))

1. Joe Schmoe, what's-his-name, so-and-so

   فُلان و زُعْطَان و عِلّان ― fulān u zuʕṭān u ʕillān ― Tom, Dick and Harry

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic فُلَان (fulān).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /fu.ˈlaːn/

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [fo.lɒ́ːn], [fe.lɒ́ːn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [fu.lɔ́n], [fä.lɔ́n]

Readings
Classical reading?	fulān
Iranian reading?	folân, felân
Tajik reading?	fulon, falon

Noun

Dari	فلان
Iranian Persian
Tajik	фалон, фулон

فلان • (folân)

1. so-and-so, such-and-such; a generic placeholder name, used when one does not wish to specify a name.

   Synonym: فلانی (folâni)

   فلان و بهمان ― folân o bahmân ― so and so, one thing or another

   دیروز فلان را دیدم. ― diruz folân râ didam. ― Yesterday, I saw so and so.

Usage notes

• Often used in conjunction with the native placeholder name بهمان (bahmân) or بسار(besâr), which do not occur without فلان (folân).

Adjective

فلان • (folân)

1. so and so; such and such; used when one does not wish to specify.

   در فلان تاریخ ― dar folân târix ― at some point or another

Usage notes

• Always used before the noun.