What it means
ارز (arz) means foreign currency, forex, or a foreign-currency instrument. The word is inherited from Middle Persian, continuing a Proto-Iranian root meaning value or worth, cognate with Sanskrit argha and ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European. In contemporary Persian, its meaning has narrowed and specialized: ارز almost always refers to foreign exchange, particularly US dollars and euros, and the instruments used to buy or hold them. It appears constantly in banking, government policy, and everyday conversation about exchange rates. A related word is ارزش (arzesh), meaning value or worth, which shares the same native Persian root.
How to use it
- خرید و فروش ارز ممنوعه؟ (kharid o forush-e arz mamnu’e?) “Is buying and selling foreign currency forbidden?”
- ارز مسافرتی میخوام بگیرم. (arz-e mosâferati mikhâm begiram.) “I want to get travel currency.”
- قیمت ارز دیروز پرید. (gheymat-e arz diruz parid.) “The currency price jumped yesterday.”
- ارز آزاد رو از صرافی میگیرن. (arz-e âzâd ro az sarrâfi migiran.) “They get free-market currency from the exchange office.”
Cultural note
In Iran, ارز is a word loaded with economic significance. The government has long maintained a subsidized official rate for ارز alongside a free-market rate (ارز آزاد), and the gap between them has at times been enormous. Ordinary Iranians follow ارز prices closely because they directly affect the cost of imported goods, medicine, and travel. Exchange offices called صرافی (sarrâfi) are the main place people buy and sell ارز outside the formal banking system.