farsi

IPA/ˈfɑːsiː/
KK[fˈɑrsi]IPA/ˈfɑːrsiː/

farsi — noun

1. the main language of Iran, also called Persian, written in a modified form of th

1.nounB1
Definition

the main language of Iran, also called Persian, written in a modified form of the Arabic alphabet and spoken by tens of millions of people across the Middle East and Central Asia

Example

Eitan signed up for a Farsi class so he could read Persian poetry in the original.

collocation: a Farsi class

The street signs in Tehran are written in Farsi, with smaller English text below.

passive: written in + Farsi

Common collocations
  • speak Farsi
  • learn Farsi
  • in Farsi
  • Farsi speaker
  • Farsi script
  • fluent in Farsi
Synonyms
  • Persian

    broader English term; often preferred in academic or historical writing about the language family

Grammar Patterns

in + Farsi

speak/learn/read + Farsi

Farsi + noun (e.g. Farsi class, Farsi script)

Usage Note

Distinguish from the broader term 'Persian': in English, 'Persian' often covers the language family and its older literary tradition, while 'Farsi' typically refers to the modern variety used in Iran. Iranians themselves call the language Farsi when speaking it.

Common Mistakes

She speaks Farsi language.
She speaks Farsi.
Farsi is already the name of the language; do not add 'language' after it.
Farsi is written in Arabic.
Farsi is written in a modified Arabic script.
Farsi uses an adapted version of the Arabic alphabet but is a completely different language.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Farsi, Persian, and Dari refer to closely related forms of the same language family but carry different connotations. 'Persian' is the traditional English name and is preferred in academic, historical, and literary contexts — discussions of Rumi or the Persian Empire almost always use 'Persian'. 'Farsi' is what Iranians call the language in the language itself, and it has become the everyday English term for the modern variety spoken in Iran. 'Dari' is the variety spoken in Afghanistan; though mutually intelligible with Iranian Farsi, it has its own vocabulary and pronunciation. A learner enrolling in a 'Persian literature' course will read classical texts, while a learner taking a 'Farsi conversation' course will study modern spoken Iranian usage.

Farsi ↗Persian ↗Dari ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • a Farsi speaker
  • Farsi class
  • Farsi script
  • Farsi word
  • Farsi translation
  • Farsi dictionary

Adverbs

  • fluently in Farsi

Phrases

  • speak Farsi
  • learn Farsi
  • write in Farsi
  • translate into Farsi
  • read Farsi

Prepositions

  • in Farsi
  • from Farsi
  • into Farsi

Etymology

Old PersianArabicPersianEnglish

The name Farsi comes from the region of Fars (also spelled Pars) in southwestern Iran, the homeland of the ancient Persian people and the historical centre of the Persian Empire. The Arabic alphabet has no 'p' sound, so when Arabic speakers adopted the word after the 7th-century conquests, 'Parsi' became 'Farsi', and that pronunciation stuck. The English word 'Persian' comes from the same root by way of Latin and Greek.