Skip to content
- 100 essential Farsi words across 10 categories — with Persian script, transliteration, and pronunciation notes
- The most important greetings, numbers, verbs, and everyday phrases
- How to pronounce Farsi sounds that don’t exist in English
- Example sentences showing common words used in real context
- Which words to learn first and why vocabulary order matters
100 Most Common Farsi Words Every Beginner Needs to Know
Research in language acquisition consistently shows that the most frequent 100–300 words in any language account for 50–65% of everyday spoken communication. Master these common words and you have a foundation from which real conversation becomes possible.
This guide covers the 100 most useful Farsi words for beginners — organised by category, shown in Persian script alongside transliteration and pronunciation notes, and illustrated with brief example sentences. This is the vocabulary that will serve you first and longest.
Before you start: The Persian script used here is the actual written form of these words. If you haven’t yet learned the Persian alphabet, we strongly recommend doing so before attempting to memorise vocabulary — it makes retention significantly faster. See our Persian alphabet guide. The script takes 4–6 weeks to learn and makes everything else easier.
| Farsi Script | Pronunciation | English | Used When |
|---|---|---|---|
| سلام | salām | Hello / Hi | Informal greeting, any time of day |
| خداحافظ | khodāhāfez | Goodbye | Formal farewell — literally “God be your protector” |
| ممنون | mamnun | Thank you | Everyday thank you — informal |
| متشکرم | motashakkeram | Thank you (formal) | More formal or emphatic gratitude |
| خواهش میکنم | khāhesh mikonam | Please / You’re welcome | Making a request OR responding to thanks |
| ببخشید | bebakhshid | Excuse me / Sorry | Getting attention OR apologising |
| چطوری؟ | chetori? | How are you? (informal) | With friends and family |
| حالتون چطوره؟ | hāletun chetore? | How are you? (formal) | With strangers or elders |
| خوبم | khubam | I’m fine / I’m good | Standard response to “how are you” |
| بله | bale | Yes (formal) | Formal affirmative |
| آره | āre | Yes (informal) | Casual conversation |
| نه | na | No | Any situation |
| Farsi Script | Pronunciation | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| یک | yek | 1 | Also pronounced “yak” in informal speech |
| دو | do | 2 | — |
| سه | se | 3 | — |
| چهار | chahār | 4 | — |
| پنج | panj | 5 | — |
| شش | shesh | 6 | — |
| هفت | haft | 7 | — |
| هشت | hasht | 8 | — |
| نه | noh | 9 | Note: same spelling as “no” — context distinguishes |
| ده | dah | 10 | — |
| بیست | bist | 20 | — |
| پنجاه | panjāh | 50 | — |
| صد | sad | 100 | — |
| هزار | hezār | 1,000 | — |
Verbs are shown in their present tense first-person singular form (the “I” form), which is the most useful starting point. Persian verbs conjugate by adding personal suffixes — learn the stem and the pattern applies to almost everything.
| Farsi Script | Pronunciation | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| هستم | hastam | I am | من ایرانی هستم — Man Irāni hastam (I am Iranian) |
| میخواهم | mikhāham | I want | آب میخواهم — Āb mikhāham (I want water) |
| میروم | miravam | I go / I’m going | به خانه میروم — Be khāne miravam (I’m going home) |
| میآیم | miyāyam | I come | — |
| دارم | dāram | I have | وقت دارم — Vaght dāram (I have time) |
| میخورم | mikhuram | I eat | نان میخورم — Nān mikhuram (I eat bread) |
| مینوشم | minosham | I drink | — |
| میگویم | miguyam | I say / I speak | فارسی میگویم — Fārsi miguyam (I speak Farsi) |
| میفهمم | mifahmam | I understand | نمیفهمم — Nemifahmam (I don’t understand) |
| میدانم | midānam | I know | نمیدانم — Nemidānam (I don’t know) |
| میخواهم | mikhāham | I like / I want | دوست دارم — Dust dāram (I love / I like) |
| میتوانم | mitavānam | I can | کمک میتوانم — Komak mitavānam (I can help) |
| میبینم | mibinam | I see | — |
| میشنوم | mishnavom | I hear | — |
| Farsi Script | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| چه | che | What | چه میخواهی؟ — What do you want? |
| کی | ki | Who | کی هستی؟ — Who are you? |
| کجا | kojā | Where | کجا میروی؟ — Where are you going? |
| کِی | key | When | کِی میآیی؟ — When are you coming? |
| چرا | cherā | Why | چرا؟ — Why? |
| چطور | chetor | How | چطور میگویی؟ — How do you say? |
| چند | chand | How many / How much | چند تا؟ — How many? |
| Farsi Script | Pronunciation | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| آب | āb | Water | One of the most essential words — order it everywhere |
| غذا | ghazā | Food | — |
| خانه | khāne | House / Home | — |
| کار | kār | Work / Job | کار میکنم — I work |
| پول | pul | Money | — |
| وقت | vaght | Time | وقت ندارم — I don’t have time |
| روز | ruz | Day | امروز — emruz (today) |
| شب | shab | Night / Evening | شب بخیر — shab bekheyr (good night) |
| صبح | sobh | Morning | صبح بخیر — sobh bekheyr (good morning) |
| امروز | emruz | Today | — |
| فردا | fardā | Tomorrow | — |
| دیروز | diruz | Yesterday | — |
| خوب | khub | Good / Fine | Most versatile adjective in everyday speech |
| بد | bad | Bad | — |
| بزرگ | bozorg | Big / Large | — |
| کوچک | kuchak | Small / Little | — |
| جدید | jadid | New | — |
| قدیمی | ghadimi | Old | — |
| زیاد | ziād | Much / A lot | ممنون زیاد — Thank you very much |
| کم | kam | Little / Few | — |
How to Pronounce the Difficult Sounds in Farsi
Most Farsi sounds are accessible to English speakers. Four sounds require specific practice because they do not exist in English:
The best way to nail these sounds: Listen to native speakers and repeat. No written guide fully captures what your ear needs to learn. Even 10 minutes of daily audio exposure and imitation develops these sounds faster than any written description. A native tutor can correct pronunciation in real time — which is the single most effective tool.
Family vocabulary is particularly important in Persian culture, where family relationships are referenced constantly in daily conversation. Persian has specific terms for many family relationships that English combines into single words. For a full guide, see family terms in Farsi.
| Farsi Script | Pronunciation | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| مادر | mādar | Mother | Formal — informal: maman (مامان) |
| پدر | pedar | Father | Formal — informal: bābā (بابا) |
| خواهر | khāhar | Sister | — |
| برادر | barādar | Brother | — |
| دوست | dust | Friend | دوست دارم — I love you (literally “I have friend”) |
| عزیزم | azizam | My dear / Darling | Term of endearment — extremely common in speech |
Use These Words in a Real Conversation with a Native Tutor
Memorising vocabulary is only the first step. Using it in real sentences with a native speaker — who corrects you in real time — is what makes it stick. Book a free trial lesson at Danaa School.
Book a Free Trial Lesson →How to Learn Farsi Vocabulary Efficiently
A list of words is not a learning strategy. Here is how to actually retain the vocabulary above:
- Learn words in sentences, not in isolation. “Khāneh” is easier to remember when you associate it with “Be khāne miravam” (I’m going home) than when you learn it as an isolated entry in a list. Every word in this guide has at least one example sentence for this reason.
- Use spaced repetition. Add each word to an Anki deck with the Persian script on one side and the English on the other. Review daily. Spaced repetition is scientifically the most effective vocabulary retention method.
- Learn high-frequency words first. The 100 words in this guide were selected because they appear in everyday Persian conversation. Learn these before thematic vocabulary (animals, furniture, sports) — the thematic words are rarer.
- Use new words in speaking practice immediately. Vocabulary retained in passive recognition but never produced in speech fades quickly. Within 24 hours of learning a new word, use it in a sentence — out loud, even alone.
- Connect words to culture. Dust means “friend” — and also appears in dooset dāram (I love you). Āb means water — and also appears in dozens of Persian idioms. Cultural context makes words memorable. See beautiful words in Farsi for vocabulary with deeper cultural resonance.
Continue Building Your Farsi Vocabulary
Find Your Ideal Teacher
At Danaa School, you can choose your Farsi tutor from a selection of qualified and experienced teachers. Begin an exceptional journey into the world of Persian language!
Book Your Trial Lesson
Want to Learn Farsi at Danaa School?
Here are the best resources for you!
