What it means
اسهال (es-hâl) means diarrhea. The word is borrowed from Arabic إسهال (is-hâl), derived from the triconsonantal root س-ه-ل (s-h-l), which carries the sense of being easy, smooth, or flowing. In Arabic medical tradition, the term described loose stools in a clinical, neutral way, and Persian adopted it directly with the same neutral register. In everyday Iranian speech the same word is used by doctors, patients, and parents without any formal-informal split. A common contrast is یبوست (yobust), the Persian word for constipation, which is also widely used.
How to use it
- از دیشب اسهال دارم. (Az dishab es-hâl dâram.) “I have had diarrhea since last night.”
- بچه اسهال گرفته، باید آب زیاد بخوره. (Bache es-hâl gerefte, bâyad âb ziâd bekhore.) “The child has diarrhea, they must drink a lot of water.”
- قرص اسهال از داروخانه گرفتم. (Qors-e es-hâl az dârukhâne gereftam.) “I got diarrhea tablets from the pharmacy.”
- غذای کنار خیابونی اسهال آورد. (Ghazâye kenâr-e khiyâbuni es-hâl âvard.) “The street food caused diarrhea.”
Cultural note
Diarrhea is openly discussed in Iranian family settings and with pharmacists, where it carries little social taboo compared to some other cultures. The concern with dehydration is well understood, and oral rehydration sachets (پودر ORS) are a staple in Iranian home medicine cabinets. Spicy food, travel, and seasonal fruits are frequently cited as triggers in everyday conversation. Iranian traditional medicine (طب سنتی) has long used remedies such as brewed quince seeds and boiled rice water to manage mild cases.