What it means
آبجوش (âb-josh) is a colloquial compound meaning boiling water or very hot water, typically referring to water that has just been boiled for tea or for a quick cooking task. آب (âb) means water and جوش (josh) comes from جوشیدن (jushidan), the pure Persian verb meaning to boil or to bubble. Both components are native Persian, making this one of the few kitchen words with no Arabic or Turkish borrowing. In casual conversation you will hear آبجوش used where a more formal speaker might say آب جوشیده (âb-e jushide, boiled water) or آب گرم (âb-e garm, hot water).
How to use it
- یه کم آبجوش رو چایی بریز. (Ye kam âb-josh ro chây beriz.) “Pour a bit of boiling water over the tea.”
- آبجوش دارین؟ میخوام ظرف بشورم. (Âb-josh dârin? Mikhâm zarf beshurum.) “Do you have hot water? I want to wash a dish.”
- اول آبجوش رو بذار بجوشه، بعد چای بریز. (Aval âb-josh ro bezâr bejushe, baad chây beriz.) “Let the water come to a boil first, then pour the tea.”
- با آبجوش ماکارونی درست کردم. (Bâ âb-josh mâkâruni dorost kardam.) “I made pasta with boiling water.”
Cultural note
In Iranian tea culture, the temperature of the water matters enormously. Strong black tea is brewed in a small teapot placed on top of a samovar or kettle, and the water used to dilute it in the glass must be very hot. Asking someone for آبجوش in a Persian home signals you know how tea is properly served. The word also appears in older home remedies, where a glass of plain boiling water with lemon is recommended for digestion or a sore throat.