Skip to content
- 60 Farsi words for weather and seasons — with Persian script, romanisation, and cultural context
- The four seasons in Persian — بهار، تابستان، پاییز، زمستان — and what each means culturally
- Weather conversation phrases used every day in Persian
- Persian proverbs about weather and seasons
- How weather vocabulary connects to Persian poetry and Nowruz
Weather in Persian — 60 Farsi Words for Seasons, Conditions & Nature
Weather is one of the most universal conversation topics in any language — and in Persian, the vocabulary of seasons and weather carries deep cultural weight. The four seasons (فصلها — fasl-hā) are not just weather categories in Iranian culture: بهار (spring) is the season of Nowruz and renewal, تابستان (summer) is the time of family and heat, پاییز (autumn) is the season of melancholy and poetry, and زمستان (winter) brings its own imagery from the Shahnameh to Rumi's Masnavi. This guide gives you 60 Farsi words for weather and seasons — with the cultural depth that makes vocabulary memorable. For learners who want to use this vocabulary in real Persian conversation, Danaa School's online Farsi programme teaches weather, seasons, and everyday conversation with native tutors.
آب و هوا vs هوا: Persian has two words for weather. آب و هوا (āb-o-havā — literally "water and air") is the formal and general term for climate or weather conditions. هوا (havā) means the immediate weather or air — "امروز هوا چطوره؟" (How is the weather today?). هوا is used in everyday speech; آب و هوا is more formal or geographic.
The Four Seasons in Persian — چهار فصل
بهار (bahār) is the most culturally significant season in Iran. It begins with نوروز (Nowruz) — the Persian New Year, celebrated on the spring equinox (March 20/21). For Iranians worldwide, بهار is the season of renewal, new beginnings, family gatherings, and the هفتسین table. The word بهار also appears throughout Persian poetry as a symbol of beauty, joy, and the return of life — Hafez and Rumi both use بهار as a metaphor for the beloved's presence.
| English | Persian | Romanisation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | بهار | bahār | Also a common Iranian name for girls — means spring or spring blossom |
| Flower / blossom | گل | gol | Central to spring imagery in Persian poetry — گل رُز = rose |
| Rain | باران | bārān | Spring rain is considered a blessing — باران بهاری = spring rain. Also a common name. |
| Mild / pleasant weather | هوای معتدل | havā-ye mo'tadel | معتدل = moderate, balanced. Used for mild spring weather |
| Wind | باد | bād | Spring winds are called باد بهاری. Note: باد also means "be" (subjunctive) in classical poetry — context matters |
| Nowruz | نوروز | nowruz | New Year — literally "new day." The most important Persian cultural event, always on the spring equinox |
| Cherry blossom / tree blossom | شکوفه | shokofe | The blossoming of trees — شکوفه دادن = to blossom. Powerful symbol of spring beginning |
تابستان (tābostān) means summer — from تاب (tab — warmth, heat, endurance) + ستان (-stān — place of, land of). Iran experiences extreme summer heat in many regions — Tehran can reach 40°C, while the Persian Gulf coast regularly exceeds 45°C. The season is associated with family holidays, Caspian Sea travel, and the school break (تعطیلات تابستانی). In Iranian diaspora families, تابستان often means visiting Iran or having relatives visit.
| English | Persian | Romanisation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | تابستان | tābostān | From تاب (warmth) + ستان (land of) |
| Hot | گرم | garm | هوا گرمه = it's hot. گرم also means warm (temperature and personality) |
| Very hot / scorching | سوزان | suzān | From سوختن (to burn) — describes intense summer heat |
| Sun | آفتاب / خورشید | āftāb / khorshid | آفتاب = sunshine (the light); خورشید = the sun (the object). هوای آفتابی = sunny weather |
| Sunny | آفتابی | āftābi | امروز آفتابیه = it's sunny today |
| Shade / shadow | سایه | sāye | Finding sāye is essential in Iranian summer — also a metaphor for protection in poetry |
| Drought | خشکسالی | khoshksāli | A significant issue in modern Iran — خشک (dry) + سالی (year-ness) |
| Humid | مرطوب | martub | The Caspian coast is known for its مرطوب climate — the opposite of Iran's arid interior |
پاییز (pāyiz) — autumn — carries a distinctive emotional tone in Persian culture. It is the season most associated with nostalgia, sadness, and the passage of time. Persian poets from Sa'di to Forough Farrokhzad have written about پاییز as a metaphor for loss, aging, and longing. The falling of leaves (ریزش برگ — rizesh-e barg) is a recurring image. Culturally, پاییز is also when Iranians return from summer holidays, schools reopen, and the rhythm of ordinary life resumes.
| English | Persian | Romanisation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn / Fall | پاییز | pāyiz | The season most associated with melancholy in Persian literary tradition |
| Leaf | برگ | barg | ریزش برگ = falling of leaves. برگ also means "page" — a dual meaning poets exploit |
| Cloudy | ابری | abri | از ابر (cloud) + ی (adjectival suffix). هوا ابریه = it's cloudy |
| Cloud | ابر | abr | In Persian poetry, ابر (cloud) brings rain — a positive symbol of generosity and fertility |
| Fog / mist | مه | meh | مهآلود = foggy (meh-ālud). Common in northern Iran's forested regions in autumn |
| Cool / cold | خنک | khonak | Pleasant cool — not cold. هوا خنکه = the weather is pleasantly cool. خنک has a positive connotation unlike سرد (cold) |
| Wind / breeze | نسیم | nasim | A gentle, pleasant breeze — نسیم بهار/پاییز. A common Iranian name for girls. |
زمستان (zemestān) — winter — ranges dramatically across Iran. Tehran gets significant snowfall, the Alborz mountains are ski destinations, the Persian Gulf coast stays warm, and the deserts of central Iran experience freezing nights. In classical Persian literature, زمستان is both hardship and coziness — the warmth of the کُرسی (korsi — a low heated table under which a family sits together) against the cold outside is a powerful cultural image. Many diaspora families associate زمستان in Iran with family gatherings around the korsi.
| English | Persian | Romanisation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | زمستان | zemestān | From Old Iranian — related to the Avestan word for winter. A powerful image of endurance in Persian poetry |
| Snow | برف | barf | برف میباره = it's snowing. For a full guide see our Persian word for snow page |
| Cold | سرد | sard | هوا سرده = it's cold. سرد also describes a cold personality or cold reception |
| Ice | یخ | yakh | یخ زدن = to freeze. Common idiom: یخم زد = I froze (with cold or shock) |
| Freeze / frost | یخبندان | yakhbandān | Literally "ice-binding" — describes a hard freeze. Common in Iran's mountain regions |
| Storm | طوفان | tufān | Also used metaphorically — طوفان احساسات = emotional storm. From Arabic |
| Thunder | رعد | ra'd | رعد و برق = thunder and lightning (ra'd o barq). رعد alone = thunder |
| Lightning | برق | barq | Also means electricity in modern Farsi — برق خاموش شد = the electricity went out |
General Weather Vocabulary in Persian
| English | Persian | Romanisation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | هوا / آب و هوا | havā / āb-o-havā | هوا = immediate weather; آب و هوا = climate/general conditions |
| Temperature | دما | damā | دمای هوا = air temperature. دماسنج = thermometer |
| Degree | درجه | daraje | سی درجه = 30 degrees. Iran uses Celsius |
| Humidity | رطوبت | rotubat | رطوبت بالاست = humidity is high. The Caspian coast is famous for رطوبت |
| Dry / arid | خشک | khoshk | Most of Iran's interior is خشک. خشکی = dryness/drought |
| Rainbow | رنگینکمان | rangin-kamān | Literally "coloured bow" — رنگین (colourful) + کمان (bow/arc) |
| Hail | تگرگ | tagarg | تگرگ میباره = it's hailing. Hail is common in Iran's mountains in spring |
| Flood | سیل | seyl | سیل also means a rushing flood of anything — سیل اشک = a flood of tears |
| Earthquake | زلزله | zelzele | Iran sits on major fault lines — زلزله is sadly familiar vocabulary |
| Pollution / smog | آلودگی هوا | āludegi-ye havā | Tehran is known for هوای آلوده (polluted air) — a very current vocabulary item |
Weather Conversation Phrases in Persian
These are the phrases Iranians actually use when talking about the weather — in person, on the phone, and in messages. For learners studying Farsi online, these are the first weather expressions to master because they come up in almost every casual conversation.
| Persian | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|
| امروز هوا چطوره؟ | emruz havā chetore? | How is the weather today? |
| هوا گرمه | havā garme | It's hot |
| هوا سرده | havā sarde | It's cold |
| هوا خوبه | havā khube | The weather is nice |
| هوا ابریه | havā abrie | It's cloudy |
| باران میباره | bārān mibāre | It's raining |
| برف میباره | barf mibāre | It's snowing |
| هوا آفتابیه | havā āftābie | It's sunny |
| باد میآد | bād miyād | It's windy (wind is coming) |
| دمای هوا چنده؟ | damā-ye havā chande? | What is the temperature? |
| هوا تغییر کرده | havā taghyir karde | The weather has changed |
| پیشبینی هوا چیه؟ | pishabini-ye havā chie? | What is the weather forecast? |
Weather in Persian Poetry — The Cultural Connection
Persian poetry is saturated with weather imagery — and learning weather vocabulary opens a new layer of meaning in classical verse. When Hafez writes about باران (rain), he means both actual rain and divine mercy. When Rumi describes باد (wind), it is both the literal wind and the breath of God. When Sa'di speaks of بهار (spring), it carries the full weight of renewal and the transience of beauty.
This is why Danaa School teaches vocabulary in cultural context — because in Persian, the word for rain is never just the word for rain. Our online Persian programme covers this poetic layer alongside practical everyday language, giving learners access to both the language you speak and the culture that shaped it.
Learn Persian Seasons, Weather & Culture With a Native Tutor
When an Iranian says هوا خوبه, they might mean the weather is nice — or they might be using it as small talk to open a deeper conversation. Context, tone, and cultural knowledge are what make the difference. At Danaa School, native tutors teach you the language and the culture together.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are two main Farsi words for weather. هوا (havā) refers to the immediate weather or air — "امروز هوا چطوره؟" means "how is the weather today?" آب و هوا (āb-o-havā, literally "water and air") refers to climate or general weather conditions of a region. In everyday conversation, هوا is the word you use. آب و هوا appears in more formal or geographic contexts.
The four seasons in Persian are: بهار (bahār — spring), تابستان (tābostān — summer), پاییز (pāyiz — autumn/fall), and زمستان (zemestān — winter). The general word for season is فصل (fasl), and for "four seasons" is چهار فصل (chahār fasl). Spring (بهار) is the most culturally significant — it begins with Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on the spring equinox.
To say it is raining in Persian: باران میباره (bārān mibāre) — literally "rain is falling." The verb باریدن (bāridan) means "to fall" for precipitation. For snow: برف میباره (barf mibāre — snow is falling). For hail: تگرگ میباره (tagarg mibāre). The pattern is always [precipitation] + میباره.
هوا خوبه (havā khube) means "the weather is nice" or "the weather is good." هوا = weather/air; خوبه is a contraction of خوب است (good is). It is one of the most common weather expressions in everyday Persian speech — used to comment on pleasant weather or as part of casual small talk when greeting someone.
نوروز (Nowruz — literally "new day") is the Persian New Year celebrated on the spring equinox, usually March 20 or 21. It marks the beginning of بهار (spring) and is the most important cultural event in the Persian-speaking world — observed by over 300 million people in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and diaspora communities worldwide. The arrival of spring (بهار) is therefore not just a seasonal change in Iranian culture but a major annual celebration tied to renewal, family, and national identity.
