What it means
جرثقیل (jarsaghil) is the standard Persian word for a construction crane or mechanical hoist. The word is a pseudo-Arabism, built from two Arabic components: جرّ (jarr, pulling) and ثقیل (thaqil, heavy), giving the literal sense of something that pulls heavy loads. In everyday speech it refers to the tall tower cranes that dominate construction sites in Iranian cities, though it also covers smaller mobile cranes and overhead gantry hoists. A colloquial alternative sometimes heard on worksites is کرین (kerin), borrowed directly from English.
How to use it
- جرثقیل بتون رو بالا کشید. (jarsaghil beton ro bâlâ keshid.) “The crane lifted the concrete up.”
- کار بدون جرثقیل امکانپذیر نیست. (kâr bedun-e jarsaghil emkân-pazir nist.) “The work is not possible without a crane.”
- جرثقیل دیشب خراب شد، کار متوقف شده. (jarsaghil dishab kharâb shod, kâr mottavaghef shode.) “The crane broke down last night, work has stopped.”
- برای این ساختمون به دو تا جرثقیل نیاز داریم. (barâye in sâkhtemon be do tâ jarsaghil niyâz dârim.) “For this building we need two cranes.”
Cultural note
The Tehran skyline has been defined by construction cranes for much of the past three decades, reflecting chronic demand for urban housing and commercial space. The tower crane, or جرثقیل برجی (jarsaghil-e borji), became a symbol of the building booms that followed economic reform periods. On smaller provincial sites and in traditional bazaar renovation projects, lighter جرثقیلهای سیار (mobile cranes) are more common. Safety incidents involving cranes on Iranian worksites have periodically prompted regulatory debates about operator licensing and equipment inspection standards.