What it means
فراش (ferrâsh) means office attendant, janitor, or building caretaker, especially in formal or institutional settings such as government offices and schools. The word is borrowed from Arabic, where فرّاش originally referred to one who spreads bedding or carpets, a domestic servant responsible for the household. In modern formal Persian, فراش describes the person who maintains the physical space of an office or institution, runs errands for staff, and keeps order in corridors. A more colloquial synonym is نظافتچی (nezâfatchi), while خدمتکار (khedmatkar) is a broader term for servant or attendant.
How to use it
- فراش مدرسه هر روز کلاسها رو تمیز میکنه. (ferrâsh-e madrese har ruz kelâs-hâ ro tamiz mikone) “The school attendant cleans the classrooms every day.”
- فراش اداره نامهها رو تحویل داد. (ferrâsh-e edâre nâme-hâ ro tahvil dâd) “The office attendant delivered the letters.”
- از فراش خواستم در رو قفل کنه. (az ferrâsh khâstam dar ro ghofl kone) “I asked the attendant to lock the door.”
- فراش قدیمی بازنشسته شد. (ferrâsh-e ghadimi bâzneshaste shod) “The long-serving attendant retired.”
Cultural note
The role of the فراش is a familiar fixture of Iranian bureaucratic life. In government ministries and schools, the فراش has traditionally acted as a combination of janitor, doorkeeper, and informal office runner, bringing tea to staff and managing the flow of paperwork between departments. The title carries an old-fashioned formality and is less common in private-sector contexts, where the term نظافتکار or خدمتکار tends to be preferred.