What it means
چراغ (cherâgh) means “light” or “lamp,” any device that gives off light. It is a native Persian word with a very wide reach: the lamp on your desk, the ceiling light in a room, a car’s headlight (چراغ ماشین), and the traffic light on the street (چراغ راهنمایی) are all چراغ. A close relative is نور (nur), but نور is the light itself, the glow, while چراغ is the object or fixture that produces it. In the home, the everyday meaning is simply the lamp you switch on and off.
How to use it
- چراغ رو روشن کن (cherâgh ro roshan kon) “turn on the light”
- چراغ رو خاموش کن (cherâgh ro khâmush kon) “turn off the light”
- چراغ قرمزه، وایسا (cherâgh ghermeze, vâysâ) “the light’s red, stop”
- چراغ آشپزخونه سوخته (cherâgh-e âshpazkhune sukhte) “the kitchen light has burned out”
Cultural note
چراغ shows up in everyday Persian beyond the literal lamp. To give someone چراغ سبز (cherâgh-e sabz, “a green light”) means to give them the go-ahead or approval, just as in English. Iranians also speak of a home whose چراغ is lit (چراغ خانه روشن) as an image of a household that is alive and thriving.