What it means
گوشه (gushe) means a corner, nook, or edge of a room. It comes from Middle Persian goshag and is a genuinely native Persian word with no Arabic or Turkic input. The word is versatile: it can describe a physical corner where two walls meet, a quiet nook in a house, or figuratively a remote or tucked-away place. A close synonym is زاویه (zâviye), which is the Arabic-origin word for angle or corner and tends to appear in more formal or geometric contexts, while گوشه stays neutral and conversational.
How to use it
- میز را بگذار توی گوشهی اتاق. (miz ro begzâr tu-ye gushe-ye otâq.) “Put the table in the corner of the room.”
- یه گوشهی آروم پیدا کردم که درس بخونم. (ye gushe-ye ârum peydâ kardam ke dars bekhunam.) “I found a quiet nook to study.”
- گوشهی دیوار ترک برداشته. (gushe-ye divâr tarak bardâshte.) “The corner of the wall has cracked.”
- بچه رفت گوشهی حیاط قایم شد. (bache raft gushe-ye heyât qâyem shod.) “The child went and hid in a corner of the yard.”
Cultural note
In Persian spatial language, گوشه carries a feeling of intimacy and retreat. The phrase گوشهنشینی (gushe-neshini), literally sitting in a corner, describes a person who withdraws from public life, whether a reclusive mystic or simply someone who keeps to themselves. Sufi poetry frequently uses گوشه as a space of contemplation, where the seeker retreats from the noise of the world. In everyday domestic life, گوشه simply names any corner of a home, and Iranians often describe a small reading spot or a personal shelf as their گوشه.