What it means
آرنج (âranj) is the Persian word for the elbow, the bending joint between your upper arm and forearm. It is a native Iranian word, going back to older forms in Middle Persian, and it sits comfortably in neutral everyday speech with no formal or slangy flavor. There is no common everyday synonym, though anatomy texts sometimes use the Arabic borrowing مرفق (merfaq) in clinical writing.
How to use it
- آرنجم درد میکنه. (âranjam dard mikone.) “My elbow hurts.”
- آرنجت رو روی میز نذار. (âranjet ro ru-ye miz nazâr.) “Don’t put your elbow on the table.”
- خوردم زمین و آرنجم زخم شد. (khordam zamin o âranjam zakhm shod.) “I fell and scraped my elbow.”
- دستت رو از آرنج خم کن. (dastet ro az âranj kham kon.) “Bend your arm at the elbow.”
Cultural note
آرنج comes up often in everyday physical talk, from a child being told to keep their elbows off the dinner table to someone describing a fall or a sore joint. In Iranian table manners, resting your آرنج on the sofreh or table while eating is generally seen as impolite, so parents correct children about it. In a clinical setting a doctor may use the more technical مرفق (merfaq), but in ordinary conversation آرنج is the natural choice.