Fingilish: The Secret Language Iranian Teens Use (2026)
The first WhatsApp message I got from my cousin in Tehran after years of not being in touch looked like […]
Persian Culture & Traditions
Persian Culture & Traditions
Discover Persian culture, traditions, holidays, and customs. Understanding cultural context makes language learning more meaningful and enjoyable.
Persian Culture & Traditions
Chaharshanbe Suri: Iran’s Fire Festival Before Nowruz
Last year in Milan, I tried to explain Chaharshanbe Suri to my Italian neighbors. “So we jump over fire,” I said. “In the street. While chanting.” The full fire-jumping chant breakdown, qâshoq-zani tradition, and 15 Farsi vocabulary words.
Persian Culture & Traditions
Cook Your Way to Farsi: Learn Persian Through Recipes
Learn Persian through real Iranian recipes. Each episode teaches a dish from scratch while building your Farsi vocabulary — 25 cooking verbs, table conversation phrases, and cultural context across 18 episodes.
Persian Culture & Traditions
Hafez’s Most Famous Ghazal — Word by Word
The opening ghazal of Hafez’s Divan is the most famous poem in Persian literature. Every Iranian knows the first line. Here’s the Farsi script, transliteration, word-by-word breakdown, and why Iranians still quote it in daily conversation.
Persian Poetry for Language Learners: Where to Start
I grew up hearing Hafez at the dinner table. My grandmother in Tehran would settle every family argument with a
The Persian Words for Gay, Lesbian, Queer (and 8 Missing)
What are the Persian words for gay, lesbian, trans? A diaspora educator’s honest look at the words that exist, the words that don’t, and why Persian is still catching up.
The Story of Persian: 2,500 Years in One Guide
I grew up hearing Farsi at home in Iran and never once thought about where it came from. Then I
Persian Calligraphy: 5 Nastaliq Rules for Beginners (A2)
I was twelve years old, sitting in my grandfather’s study in Tehran, watching him write a letter. Not type. Write.
Persian Culture & Traditions
Iranian Gift-Giving Etiquette: When, What, and How Much
Iranian gift-giving etiquette explained: what to bring, what to avoid, and the unspoken rules of taarof around presents in Persian culture.
Persian Culture & Traditions
Persian Names: Meanings, History, and How to Pronounce Them
Common Persian names with meanings, origins, and correct pronunciation. From Zoroastrian roots to modern Iranian choices.