What it means
آسیب (âsib) means harm, damage, or injury. It is a pure Persian word. The two compound verbs built on it are the most important for learners: آسیب رساندن (âsib resândan, to cause harm or damage) and آسیب دیدن (âsib didan, to be harmed or injured). The derived adjective آسیبپذیر (âsib-pazir) means vulnerable, literally capable of receiving harm, and آسیبپذیری (âsib-paziri) is the noun vulnerability. The word covers physical injury, psychological harm, and damage to objects or systems equally, making it a versatile term across registers from medical reports to casual conversation.
How to use it
- نمیخوام بهت آسیب برسونم. (nemikham behet âsib beresunam.) “I don’t want to harm you.”
- تو تصادف آسیب دیدم. (tu tasâdof âsib didam.) “I was injured in the accident.”
- این گروه خیلی آسیبپذیره. (in goruh kheyli âsib-pazire.) “This group is very vulnerable.”
- آسیب روحی زودتر درمان بشه بهتره. (âsib-e ruhi zudtar darmân beshe behtare.) “It is better for psychological harm to be treated sooner.”
Cultural note
The phrase آسیبپذیر (vulnerable) gained significant currency in Iranian public discourse around social welfare, mental health, and earthquake preparedness. Iran sits on a seismically active fault system, and news coverage of earthquakes routinely uses آسیبدیده (âsib-dide, the harmed or affected) for survivors and damaged areas. In psychology and social work contexts, آسیب روحی or آسیب روانی (psychological harm) has become standard terminology as mental health awareness has grown among younger Iranians.
References
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