This lesson completes the alphabet. 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 last 16 letters
| Letter | Name | Sound | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ص | sâd | s | Arabic loanwords |
| ض | zâd | z | Arabic loanwords |
| ط | tâ | t | Arabic loanwords |
| ظ | zâ | z | Arabic loanwords |
| ع | eyn | ‘ (a catch in the voice) | |
| غ | gheyn | gh | |
| ف | fe | f | |
| ق | ghâf | gh | sounds the same as غ in Tehran |
| ک | kâf | k | |
| گ | gâf | g | |
| ل | lâm | l | |
| م | mim | m | |
| ن | nun | n | |
| و | vâv | v, u or o | doesn’t join to the left |
| ه | he | h, or e at the end of a word | |
| ی | ye | y, i or ey |
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 | s: سلام salâm (hello), صبح sobh (morning) |
| ز ذ ض ظ | z | z: زن zan (woman) |
| ت ط | t | t: تهران Tehrân |
| ه ح | h | h: هتل hotel |
| غ ق | gh | gh: قهوه ghahve (coffee) |
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).
Practise
- Read these words: آب, دور, سیب, قهوه.
- How many letters make the sound z? Can you write them all?
← Lesson 2: The Persian Alphabet, Part 1 | All lessons | Lesson 4: Short Vowels and Your First Words →