What it means
بخاری (bokhâri) means “heater” or “heating stove,” the appliance that warms a room in cold weather. It is a Persian word, related to بخار (bokhâr, steam), and it covers a range of devices: a wall-mounted gas heater (بخاری گازی), a kerosene heater (بخاری نفتی), or an old cast-iron stove. It contrasts with شوفاژ (shoofâzh), the central heating radiator fed by a boiler, while a بخاری is usually a standalone unit heating one room.
How to use it
- بخاری رو روشن کن (bokhâri ro roshan kon) “turn on the heater”
- بخاری گازیه یا نفتی؟ (bokhâri gâziye yâ nafti?) “is it a gas heater or a kerosene one?”
- بیا جلوی بخاری بشین (biyâ jelo-ye bokhâri beshin) “come sit by the heater”
- اتاق سرده، بخاری رو زیاد کن (otâq sarde, bokhâri ro ziyâd kon) “the room is cold, turn the heater up”
Cultural note
Because natural gas is cheap and widely piped into homes, the بخاری گازی, a wall-mounted gas heater, is the everyday way many Iranian families heat a room. Older kerosene heaters like the علاءالدین (Alâaddin) brand carry a strong nostalgia for past winters, and in colder regions and traditional households the کرسی (korsi), a low table with a heat source and a heavy blanket, is still loved for gathering the family around.