100 Basic Farsi Words Every Beginner Should Know
The 100 most useful Farsi words for beginners. Greetings, numbers, food, family, and everyday vocabulary with pronunciation and examples.
Thomas van Welsenes
Founder of Learn Farsi
Why Start with 100 Words?
Research shows that the most common 100 words in any language cover roughly 50% of everyday speech. Learning these 100 basic Farsi words gives you enough vocabulary to understand and participate in simple conversations.
This list follows the 80/20 principle: focus on the words that matter most. You can practice all of these in our vocabulary lessons.
Greetings and Basics
- Salam (سلام), Hello
- Khodahafez (خداحافظ), Goodbye
- Baleh (بله), Yes
- Na (نه), No
- Lotfan (لطفاً), Please
- Mersi (مرسی), Thank you
- Bebakhshid (ببخشید), Excuse me / Sorry
- Khub (خوب), Good
- Bad (بد), Bad
- Chetori? (چطوری؟), How are you? (informal)
Pronouns and People
- Man (من), I
- To (تو), You (informal)
- Oo (او), He / She
- Ma (ما), We
- Shoma (شما), You (formal / plural)
- Anha (آنها), They
- Doost (دوست), Friend
- Khanevadeh (خانواده), Family
- Mard (مرد), Man
- Zan (زن), Woman
Numbers 1-10
- Yek (یک), 1
- Do (دو), 2
- Se (سه), 3
- Chahar (چهار), 4
- Panj (پنج), 5
- Shesh (شش), 6
- Haft (هفت), 7
- Hasht (هشت), 8
- Noh (نه), 9
- Dah (ده), 10
For the full list up to 100, read our Farsi numbers guide.
Food and Drink
- Ab (آب), Water
- Nan (نان), Bread
- Berenj (برنج), Rice
- Gosht (گوشت), Meat
- Morgh (مرغ), Chicken
- Miveh (میوه), Fruit
- Sabzi (سبزی), Vegetables / Herbs
- Chai (چای), Tea
- Shir (شیر), Milk
- Ghaza (غذا), Food
Everyday Nouns
- Khaneh (خانه), House / Home
- Kar (کار), Work
- Ketab (کتاب), Book
- Mashin (ماشین), Car
- Pul (پول), Money
- Vaqt (وقت), Time
- Ja (جا), Place
- Rah (راه), Road / Way
- Dar (در), Door
- Ab (آب), Water
Common Verbs
- Raftan (رفتن), To go
- Amadan (آمدن), To come
- Khordan (خوردن), To eat
- Nushidan (نوشیدن), To drink
- Goftan (گفتن), To say
- Didan (دیدن), To see
- Danestan (دانستن), To know
- Khastan (خواستن), To want
- Dashtan (داشتن), To have
- Budan (بودن), To be
Learn how to conjugate these in our Farsi grammar basics guide.
Adjectives and Descriptions
- Bozorg (بزرگ), Big
- Kuchik (کوچک), Small
- Khub (خوب), Good
- Bad (بد), Bad
- Ziba (زیبا), Beautiful
- Garm (گرم), Hot
- Sard (سرد), Cold
- Jadid (جدید), New
- Ghadimi (قدیمی), Old
- Asan (آسان), Easy
Question Words
- Chi? (چی؟), What?
- Ki? (کی؟), Who?
- Koja? (کجا؟), Where?
- Key? (کِی؟), When?
- Chera? (چرا؟), Why?
- Chetor? (چطور؟), How?
- Chand? (چند؟), How many?
These question words unlock conversations. Combine them with the verbs above and you can ask about anything.
Ready to practice? Start with our free vocabulary lessons and use daily practice to make these words stick.
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