Beginner course · Lesson 3
This lesson completes the alphabet with the last 16 Persian letters. You will notice that several letters make the same sound: Persian has four letters for z and three for s. The extra ones come from Arabic loanwords, and the only way to know which one a word uses is to learn its spelling. Iranian schoolchildren find this just as annoying as you will.
The good news is that you only need to recognise these letters to read. Pronouncing them is easy, because each duplicate sounds exactly like a letter you already know.
The last 16 letters
As in Lesson 2, the forms run isolated, initial, medial and final, and the line attached to each form shows which side it joins on.
| Letter | Name | Sound | Forms (isolated · initial · medial · final) | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ص | sâd | s; Arabic loanwords | ص · صـ · ـصـ · ـص | صبح sobh morning |
| ض | zâd | z; Arabic loanwords | ض · ضـ · ـضـ · ـض | حاضر hâzer ready |
| ط | tâ | t; Arabic loanwords | ط · طـ · ـطـ · ـط | طلا talâ gold |
| ظ | zâ | z; Arabic loanwords | ظ · ظـ · ـظـ · ـظ | ظهر zohr noon |
| ع | eyn | ‘ (a catch in the voice) | ع · عـ · ـعـ · ـع | ساعت sâ’at hour; clock |
| غ | gheyn | gh | غ · غـ · ـغـ · ـغ | غذا ghazâ food |
| ف | fe | f | ف · فـ · ـفـ · ـف | فارسی fârsi Persian |
| ق | ghâf | gh; sounds the same as غ in Tehran | ق · قـ · ـقـ · ـق | قند ghand sugar lump |
| ک | kâf | k | ک · کـ · ـکـ · ـک | کتاب ketâb book |
| گ | gâf | g | گ · گـ · ـگـ · ـگ | گل gol flower |
| ل | lâm | l | ل · لـ · ـلـ · ـل | لیوان livân glass (for drinking) |
| م | mim | m | م · مـ · ـمـ · ـم | مادر mâdar mother |
| ن | nun | n | ن · نـ · ـنـ · ـن | نان nân bread |
| و | vâv | v, u or o; doesn’t join to the left | و · ـو (two forms only) | وقت vaght time |
| ه | he | h, or e at the end of a word | ه · هـ · ـهـ · ـه | هتل hotel hotel |
| ی | ye | y, i or ey | ی · یـ · ـیـ · ـی | یک yek one |
Two letters change shape more than the rest. ه looks quite different at the start of a word (هـ) from how it looks at the end (ـه), and ع and غ close up into a small solid loop in the middle of a word in most fonts. Notice too that ی loses its two dots at the end of a word: چای châi (tea).
One special join: lâm and alef
When ل is followed by ا, the two letters fuse into a single shape, لا lâ. You have already seen it in the most useful word in the language: سلام salâm (hello). It also appears in طلا talâ (gold) above. Once you spot the V-like shape, it is easy to read.
Letters that are also vowels
Three letters do double duty as long vowels. ا (alef) usually stands for â; at the start of a word it carries whatever vowel follows, and آ, alef with a wavy line on top, is â at the start of a word: آب âb (water).
و (vâv) can be v, u or o: دور dur (far), وقت vaght (time). ی (ye) can be y, i or ey: یک yek (one), سیب sib (apple).
Sounds that look alike
| Letters | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| س ص ث | s | سلام salâm (hello), صبح sobh (morning) |
| ز ذ ض ظ | z | زن zan (woman) |
| ت ط | t | تهران Tehrân |
| ه ح | h | هتل hotel |
| غ ق | gh | قهوه ghahve (coffee) |
If you hear a word and need to write it, the common Persian letter is usually the safer guess: س for s, ز for z, ت for t. The others turn up mostly in words borrowed from Arabic.
Tehran tip: The letter ه at the end of a word is usually a vowel, e, not an h: خانه khâne (house), کوچه kuche (alley).
Grammar note: Persian and Arabic write two letters differently. Persian ی has no dots at the end of a word, while Arabic ي keeps two dots underneath; and Persian ک is written without the small squiggle that Arabic ك has inside it. If you type Persian on a phone or computer, choose a Persian keyboard rather than an Arabic one, or searches for words such as کتاب may not find what you want. The two Arabic letters in this note are shown for comparison only; everywhere else this course uses the Persian forms.
Dialogue: at the café counter
Tom points at the menu board in a Tehran café. Several words on it use letters from this lesson.
Tom: ببخشید، این چیه؟
Bebakhshid, in chiye?
Excuse me, what’s this?
Waiter: قهوه.
Ghahve.
Coffee.
Tom: چای هم دارید؟
Châi ham dârid?
Do you have tea too?
Waiter: بله، داریم.
Bale, dârim.
Yes, we do.
Tom: یه چای، لطفاً.
Ye châi, lotfan.
A tea, please.
Waiter: چشم.
Chashm.
Certainly.
In chiye? means “what is this?” (written: in chist?). Ham means “too”, and dârid is “you have”. In speech, yek (one) shortens to ye before a noun. Chashm literally means “eye” and is a polite “of course, right away”.
Looking for somewhere to try this? Our guide to cafés in north Tehran has plenty of counters to practise at.
Practise
- Read these words: آب, دور, سیب, قهوه.
- How many letters make the sound z? Can you write them all?
- Read these words: گل, نان, کتاب, صبح.
- In هتل and کوچه, is ه an h or a vowel?
- Find the لا shape in سلام. Which two letters make it?
- Which letter, و or ی, gives the u in دور dur?
- How would you ask for a coffee in a café?
Show answers
- âb (water), dur (far), sib (apple), ghahve (coffee).
- Four: ز ذ ض ظ.
- gol (flower), nân (bread), ketâb (book), sobh (morning).
- In هتل hotel it is an h; at the end of کوچه kuche it is the vowel e.
- ل (lâm) followed by ا (alef).
- و
- یه قهوه، لطفاً. Ye ghahve, lotfan.
Flashcards
Test yourself
Summary
- You now know all 32 Persian letters, including the last 16 and their joined forms.
- Several letters share a sound: three for s, four for z, two for t, h and gh. The extras mostly appear in Arabic loanwords.
- ا, و and ی also write long vowels, and ه at the end of a word is usually the vowel e.
- ل and ا fuse into لا, as in سلام.
- You can ask “what’s this?” and order a tea or coffee.