What it means
عضله (azole) means “muscle,” the tissue in your body that contracts to move your limbs. It is an Arabic loanword, from the root ع-ض-ل, and it is fully at home in Persian today. There is also a native Persian word, ماهیچه (mahiche), which people use just as often, especially in casual talk and cooking. In medical and fitness contexts, عضله tends to sound a bit more technical.
How to use it
- عضلهام درد میکنه (azole-am dard mikone) “My muscle hurts.”
- این تمرین عضلههای پا رو قوی میکنه (in tamrin azole-haye pa ro qavi mikone) “This exercise strengthens the leg muscles.”
- عضلهاش گرفت (azole-ash gereft) “He got a muscle cramp.”
- باید عضله بسازی (bayad azole besazi) “You need to build muscle.”
Cultural note
In spoken Persian you will hear both عضله and ماهیچه for “muscle,” and many people use them interchangeably. ماهیچه is also a common butcher’s term for a cut of meat, such as shank, so context usually makes the meaning clear. At the gym and in sports talk, the word عضله is very common, often paired with verbs like ساختن (saakhtan, “to build”) and گرفتن (gereftan), where عضله گرفتن means “to cramp.”