What it means
جاروبرقی (jâru-barqi) means “vacuum cleaner,” the electric machine used to clean carpets and floors. It is a pure Persian compound built from جارو (jâru), meaning “broom,” and برقی (barqi), meaning “electric,” so the literal sense is “electric broom.” The plain word جارو on its own is the ordinary hand broom you sweep with, while جاروبرقی always points to the powered appliance. The verb that goes with it is جارو کشیدن (jâru keshidan), to vacuum or to sweep.
How to use it
- باید جاروبرقی بکشم (bâyad jâru-barqi bekesham) “I have to vacuum”
- جاروبرقی خراب شده (jâru-barqi kharâb shode) “the vacuum cleaner is broken”
- جاروبرقی رو از کمد بیار (jâru-barqi ro az komod biyâr) “bring the vacuum out of the closet”
- صدای جاروبرقی خیلی بلنده (sedâ-ye jâru-barqi kheyli bolande) “the sound of the vacuum is really loud”
Cultural note
Iranian homes are full of carpets, from machine-made rugs to hand-knotted Persian قالی, so a جاروبرقی is a standard household item. A deep clean of the carpets is part of خانه تکانی (khâne tekâni), the thorough spring cleaning families do before Nowruz. For finer Persian rugs, many people still prefer washing them at a قالیشویی (rug-washing service) rather than relying on the vacuum alone.