What it means
کلمه (kalame) means “word” in Persian. Borrowed from Arabic kalima, it is the standard spoken term across Iran and the most common form in everyday speech.
How to use it
- یک کلمه بگو (yek kalame begu) “Say a word”
- این کلمه چه معنی میده؟ (in kalame che ma’ni mide?) “What does this word mean?”
- کلمات تازه یاد گرفتم (kalamât-e tâze yâd gereftam) “I learned new words”
Pair
The Indigenous Persian counterpart is واژه (vâzhe), preferred in linguistics, official language-academy publications, and Pure-Persian-leaning writing. کلمه dominates in spoken Persian and most newspapers; واژه dominates in academic linguistic discourse. Both are correct; the choice signals register and stance toward Persian’s Arabic-borrowed vocabulary, which makes up roughly half the lexicon.
Cultural note
The Arabic plural کلمات (kalamât) is also used in Persian, especially in literary contexts: a poet might write کلمات سنگین (heavy words). The phrase کلمهبهکلمه (kalame-be-kalame) means “word for word,” used for translation accuracy. In a Tehran classroom you’ll hear teachers say کلمه dozens of times an hour, while a Farhangestan publication will quietly switch to واژه.
References
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