What it means
اسکناس (eskenâs) is the standard Persian word for a paper banknote or bill. It entered Persian from Russian ассигна́ция (assignatsiya), which was borrowed from Polish asygnacja, itself a learned borrowing from Latin assīgnātiō. The word reached Persian during the Qajar period through heavy Russian cultural and commercial contact. Unlike سکه (sekke, coin), اسکناس refers specifically to printed paper currency of any denomination. In everyday speech Iranians say اسکناس whether they are talking about a crisp 500,000-toman note or a worn 1,000-toman bill.
How to use it
- یه اسکناس صد هزار تومنی داری؟ (ye eskenâs sad-hezâr tomâni dâri?) “Do you have a 100,000-toman note?”
- اسکناساشو تا کرد گذاشت تو جیبش. (eskenâsâsho tâ kard gozâsht tu jibesh.) “He folded his banknotes and put them in his pocket.”
- بانک فقط اسکناس نو قبول میکنه. (bânk faghat eskenâs-e no qabul mikone.) “The bank only accepts new banknotes.”
- کل پولم یه اسکناس پارهست. (kol poulam ye eskenâs-e pâre-st.) “All my money is one torn banknote.”
Cultural note
Iran has experienced severe currency devaluation over the past four decades, meaning the face value printed on اسکناس has ballooned while purchasing power has collapsed. A single grocery run can require a thick stack of high-denomination notes, which is why card payments and digital transfers have become so common. Many Iranians keep their savings in gold coins or foreign currency rather than paper rials, viewing اسکناس as something that loses value while you sleep.