What it means
انجیر (anjir) is the Persian word for the fig, covering both the fruit and the tree that bears it. The word descends from Middle Persian and has cognates in several other Iranian languages. Figs are sold fresh in summer markets and dried year-round, and the word appears in everyday speech without any formal or elevated register. A useful related phrase is درخت انجیر (derakht-e anjir), meaning fig tree specifically, though anjir alone is understood to cover both meanings from context.
How to use it
- انجیر خشک خیلی مقویه. (Anjir-e khoshk kheyli moghavviye.) “Dried figs are very nutritious.”
- درخت انجیر تو حیاطمون داریم. (Derakht-e anjir tu hayâtemon dârim.) “We have a fig tree in our yard.”
- انجیر تازه فصلیه. (Anjir-e tâze faslihe.) “Fresh figs are seasonal.”
- مربای انجیر درست کردم. (Morabâ-ye anjir dorost kardam.) “I made fig jam.”
Cultural note
Figs have been cultivated in Iran for thousands of years, and the Estahban region of Fars province is one of the largest dried-fig producers in the world. In Persian folk medicine, dried figs are considered warming and are used as a home remedy for coughs and constipation. The fig also carries a mild symbolic weight in Persian poetry, where gardens and their fruits often stand for earthly beauty and abundance.