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🛒 Supermarket Farsi Dictionary — Part 5 of 10
Cleaning Products, Kitchen Items & Household Essentials in Farsi
Move beyond food vocabulary — now your child can name the soap, the broom, the plate, the spoon, and everything else in the household aisles, all in Persian.
👧 Ages 5–14
🌍 Heritage Families
📖 45+ New Words
🏠 Home & Kitchen
Series progress
~215 / 200+ words covered
Cleaning Products — مواد شوینده (ma-vaad-e shu-yan-de)
The cleaning aisle — practical words every child hears at home
| English | فارسی | Pronunciation | Quick note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🧼 | Soap | صابون | saa-boon | One of the oldest words in Persian. Iran has a long history of soap-making dating back centuries. |
| 🧴 | Shampoo | شامپو | shaam-poo | Fun fact: the English word "shampoo" actually comes from Hindi — but the Farsi word sounds nearly identical. |
| 🫧 | Laundry Detergent | پودر لباسشویی | poo-der-e le-baas-shu-yi | Literally "clothes-washing powder." A great compound word for kids to break apart. |
| 🧴 | Fabric Softener | نرمکننده | narm-ko-nan-de | From نرم (narm) meaning "soft." Literally "the thing that makes soft." |
| 💧 | Bleach | سفیدکننده | se-fid-ko-nan-de | From سفید (sefid) meaning "white." Literally "the thing that makes white." Same word pattern as softener! |
| 🧽 | Sponge | اسفنج | es-fenj | Same root as اسفنجی in "sponge cake" from Part 4. Kids can connect them! |
| 🧹 | Broom | جارو | jaa-roo | Also used in جاروبرقی (jaa-roo-bar-ghi) — vacuum cleaner, literally "electric broom." |
| 🪣 | Bucket | سطل | satl | Also used in سطل زباله (satl-e zo-baa-le) — rubbish bin. |
| 🗑️ | Rubbish Bin / Trash Can | سطل زباله | satl-e zo-baa-le | زباله means "rubbish." Kids hear "بنداز تو سطل زباله!" (throw it in the bin!) daily. |
Culture note: In Persian culture, a clean home is a point of deep pride. Before Nowruz (Persian New Year), every Iranian family does خانهتکانی (khaa-ne-te-kaa-ni) — a thorough spring cleaning of the entire house. The word literally means "shaking the house." Teaching your child cleaning vocabulary in Farsi connects them to this beautiful annual tradition.
Personal Care — لوازم بهداشتی (la-vaa-zem-e beh-daash-ti)
The toiletries aisle — words kids use every morning and evening
| English | فارسی | Pronunciation | Quick note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🪥 | Toothbrush | مسواک | mes-vaak | An Arabic-origin word. The miswak stick was one of the first toothbrushes in history. |
| 🦷 | Toothpaste | خمیر دندان | kha-mir-e dan-daan | Literally "tooth dough." خمیر means dough (same as bakery dough!) and دندان means tooth. |
| 🧴 | Body Wash / Shower Gel | شامپو بدن | shaam-poo-ye ba-dan | Literally "body shampoo." بدن means body. |
| 🧻 | Toilet Paper | دستمال توالت | das-maal-e to-aa-let | دستمال means "hand cloth" — a beautiful compound word. |
| 🪮 | Comb / Hairbrush | شانه | shaa-ne | Also means "shoulder" — context tells which one. A great example of Persian homophones. |
| 🪒 | Razor | تیغ | tigh | Also means "blade" generally. Short and sharp — like the object itself. |
| 🧴 | Sunscreen / Sunblock | ضد آفتاب | zed-de aaf-taab | Literally "anti-sun." ضد means "against" — a useful prefix for many Persian words. |
| 🌸 | Perfume | عطر | atr | Iran has an ancient perfume tradition. عطاری (at-taa-ri) — a traditional herb and perfume shop — still exists in every bazaar. |
| 🧼 | Hand Soap / Liquid Soap | مایع دستشویی | maa-ye-e dast-shu-yi | Literally "hand-washing liquid." دست means hand, شویی means washing. |
🗣️ Morning routine phrases
Brush your teeth!مسواک بزن!mes-vaak be-zan!
Wash your hands.دستاتو بشور.das-taa-to be-shoor.
Comb your hair.موهاتو شانه کن.moo-haa-to shaa-ne kon.
Where is the shampoo?شامپو کجاست؟shaam-poo ko-jaast?
Kitchen Items — لوازم آشپزخانه (la-vaa-zem-e aash-paz-khaa-ne)
The things you eat with and cook in — practical words for every meal
| English | فارسی | Pronunciation | Quick note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🍽️ | Plate / Dish | بشقاب | bosh-ghaab | A common household word. "بشقابتو بذار تو سینک" = Put your plate in the sink. |
| 🥣 | Bowl | کاسه | kaa-se | Used for soup, yoghurt, and salad. A very ancient Persian word. |
| 🥤 | Glass / Cup | لیوان | li-vaan | For water and juice. Tea glasses are different — they're called استکان (es-te-kaan). |
| ☕ | Tea Glass | استکان | es-te-kaan | The small waisted glass used for Persian tea. Always served on a نعلبکی (saucer). |
| 🥄 | Spoon | قاشق | ghaa-shogh | The main eating utensil in Persian cuisine — Iranians eat rice with a spoon, not a fork. |
| 🍴 | Fork | چنگال | chan-gaal | Less used than the spoon in traditional Persian eating, but essential to know. |
| 🔪 | Knife | چاقو | chaa-ghoo | A Turkic-origin word used universally in Persian. Short and easy to remember. |
| 🫕 | Pot / Saucepan | قابلمه | ghaa-bla-me | Used for stews and soups. Also called دیگ (dig) for larger pots. |
| 🍳 | Frying Pan | ماهیتابه | maa-hi-taa-be | Literally "fish pan" — because frying fish was the original purpose. A wonderful etymology for kids. |
| ☕ | Kettle | کتری | ket-ri | Essential in every Iranian home — tea is made multiple times a day. Paired with a قوری (teapot). |
| 🫖 | Teapot | قوری | ghoo-ri | Sits on top of the کتری (kettle). The teapot-kettle system is unique to Persian tea culture. |
Culture note: The word ماهیتابه (frying pan) literally means "fish pan" — because in old Persia, the flat pan was invented specifically for frying fish. This is a wonderful example of how Persian vocabulary preserves ancient history. When your child says ماهیتابه, they're using a word that tells a story about how Persians cooked thousands of years ago.
Household Extras — لوازم خانه (la-vaa-zem-e khaa-ne)
The bits and pieces you always need but never remember to buy
| English | فارسی | Pronunciation | Quick note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🛍️ | Plastic Bag | کیسه نایلونی | ki-se-ye naa-ye-lo-ni | نایلون is borrowed from "nylon." In Iran people say "یه کیسه بده" (give me a bag) at checkout. |
| 🫘 | Aluminium Foil | فویل آلومینیوم | fo-yel-e aa-loo-mi-ni-yom | Used for wrapping kebabs and baking. Sounds similar to the English word. |
| 🎞️ | Cling Film / Plastic Wrap | سلفون | sel-fon | Borrowed from "cellophane." Used to cover leftover food dishes. |
| 🗑️ | Bin Bag / Rubbish Bag | کیسه زباله | ki-se-ye zo-baa-le | "Rubbish bag." Kids hear parents ask for this regularly. |
| 🔥 | Matches | کبریت | keb-rit | Originally from Arabic. Still found in every Iranian kitchen for lighting the gas stove. |
| 🕯️ | Candle | شمع | sham | Used in celebrations, power cuts, and on the Haft-Sin table at Nowruz. Short and elegant word. |
| 💡 | Light Bulb | لامپ | laamp | Borrowed from French "lampe." Easy for kids to remember and use. |
| 🔋 | Battery | باتری | baa-ta-ri | Borrowed from French "batterie." Found in the same aisle as light bulbs and candles. |
Build Your Own Words — ترکیب کلمه (tar-kib-e ka-la-me)
Persian builds long words from small pieces — learn the pattern, learn hundreds of words
| Pattern | فارسی | Pronunciation | How it works | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🧹 | جارو + برقی = Vacuum | جاروبرقی | jaa-roo-bar-ghi | Broom + electric = vacuum cleaner. برقی (electric) is a suffix you can add to many words. |
| 👕 | لباس + شویی = Washing Machine | لباسشویی | le-baas-shu-yi | Clothes + washing = washing machine. ماشین لباسشویی is the full form. |
| 🍽️ | ظرف + شویی = Dishwasher | ظرفشویی | zarf-shu-yi | Dishes + washing = dishwasher. Same شویی (washing) pattern! |
| ❄️ | یخ + چال = Fridge | یخچال | yakh-chaal | Ice + pit = fridge. Already learned in Part 4 — now you see the pattern behind it. |
| ☀️ | ضد + آفتاب = Sunscreen | ضد آفتاب | zed-de aaf-taab | Anti + sun = sunscreen. ضد (anti/against) works with any word: ضد حساسیت = anti-allergy. |
Parent tip: This section is the secret weapon. Once your child understands that Persian builds long words by combining short ones, they stop memorising and start constructing. Ask them: "If جارو is broom and برقی is electric, what's an electric broom?" They'll figure out جاروبرقی themselves. This is how fluency begins — not word by word, but pattern by pattern.
🗣️ Household chore phrases — great for daily practice
Clean your room!اتاقتو تمیز کن!o-taa-ghe-to ta-miz kon!
Set the table.سفره رو بنداز.sof-re ro ben-daaz.
Bring a plate.یه بشقاب بیار.ye bosh-ghaab bi-yaar.
Throw it in the bin.بندازش تو سطل زباله.ben-daa-zesh too satl-e zo-baa-le.
Did you sweep the floor?زمین رو جارو زدی؟za-min ro jaa-roo za-di?
We need to buy soap.باید صابون بخریم.baa-yad saa-boon be-kha-rim.
🧠 Household quiz — test at home!
Point at objects around the house and ask your child: "What's this in Farsi?"
Soapصابون
Spoonقاشق
Broomجارو
Plateبشقاب
Toothbrushمسواک
Kettleکتری
Knifeچاقو
Candleشمع
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Part 4 — Bakery, Frozen Food & Ready Meals
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Part 6 — Baby Products & Health Items
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Turn chores into Farsi practice.
"بشقاب بیار" at dinner, "مسواک بزن" at bedtime and "جارو بزن" during chores turn household routines into real Persian practice. Explore structured online Farsi lessons for children and heritage learners.
