What it means
چرخ خیاطی (charkh-khayyâti) means sewing machine. The word is a compound with two different origins: چرخ (charkh) means wheel or rotating device and is native Persian, while خیاطی (khayyâti) derives from the Arabic root خ-ي-ط, meaning tailoring or the work of a khayyât (tailor). Together they describe the machine that spins thread to sew fabric. A related term you will hear is چرخ خیاطی برقی (charkh-khayyâti-ye barqi) for an electric sewing machine, as opposed to the older foot-pedal type.
How to use it
- چرخ خیاطیام خراب شده. (charkh-khayyâtiyam kharâb shode.) “My sewing machine has broken down.”
- بلدی با چرخ خیاطی کار کنی؟ (baladi bâ charkh-khayyâti kâr koni?) “Do you know how to work a sewing machine?”
- نخ چرخ خیاطی تموم شد. (nakh-e charkh-khayyâti tamum shod.) “The sewing machine thread ran out.”
- این لباس رو با چرخ خیاطی دوختم. (in lebâs ro bâ charkh-khayyâti dokhtam.) “I sewed this dress with the sewing machine.”
Cultural note
For generations, a foot-pedal Singer-style sewing machine was a standard fixture in Iranian homes, used to stitch everything from school uniforms to wedding clothes. Many women learned to sew on these machines as part of everyday household skills. The word چرخ, literally wheel, captures the essence of how the machine works: a continuously spinning mechanism that drives the needle. Even as electric machines became common, the compound name charkh-khayyâti stayed in everyday speech.