What it means
چاه (châh) is the everyday Persian word for a well, a vertical shaft dug or drilled into the earth to reach underground water. The word is pure Persian, descending from Middle Persian chāh, and has been in continuous use for millennia. In agricultural contexts چاه refers to a hand-dug or mechanically drilled water well serving a farm or village. A close related term is قنات (qanât), which is a horizontal underground channel, distinct from the vertical چاه. You will also hear چاه آب (châh-e âb) to specify a water well, and چاه نفت (châh-e naft) for an oil well.
How to use it
- آب این روستا از چاه میاد. (âb-e in rustâ az châh miyâd.) “This village’s water comes from a well.”
- چاه رو حفر کردن تا به آب رسیدن. (châh ro hafr kardan tâ be âb residan.) “They dug the well until they reached water.”
- چاه خشک شده، باید عمیقتر بکنیمش. (châh khoshk shode, bâyad amiqtar bokonaymesh.) “The well has dried up, we need to dig it deeper.”
- کشاورزها چاه حفر کردن که زمینشون رو آبیاری کنن. (keshâvarzâ châh hafr kardan ke zaminshuon ro âbiyâri konan.) “The farmers drilled a well to irrigate their land.”
Cultural note
In a country where much of the land is arid or semi-arid, the چاه has been central to Iranian civilization for thousands of years. Ancient Persian poetry and proverbs frequently mention the well as a symbol of hidden depth, danger, or patience. The famous proverb چاه مکن بهر کسی، اول خودت افتادی توش (châh makon bahr-e kasi, avval khodat oftâdi tush), meaning “do not dig a pit for others or you will fall in first,” shows how deeply the image of the well is woven into Persian moral thought. Today groundwater depletion from over-drilled wells is one of Iran’s most serious environmental crises.