کم

What it means

کم (kam) is the pure Persian word for “little, few, not much.” Old Iranian root, no Arabic borrowing involved. It quantifies the absence of plenty: little water, few friends, not much sleep, not enough money. Iranians use it constantly, both as a quantifier and as a soft complaint.

Treat کم and زیاد (ziâd) as a locked pair. They are taught together, used together, and almost always show up in opposing sentences in conversation.

How to use it

• پول کم دارم (pul-e kam dâram) “I have little money”
• کم می‌خوابم (kam mikhâbam) “I sleep little”
• کم حرف می‌زنه (kam harf mizane) “he/she doesn’t talk much”
• این برنج کمه (in berenj kame) “this rice is too little”
• کم‌کم یاد می‌گیری (kam-kam yâd migiri) “little by little you’ll learn”

The double form کم‌کم

Reduplicate کم to get کم‌کم (kam-kam, “little by little, gradually”). One of the most common phrases in Iranian Persian. Used for learning, healing, getting used to a new city, recovering from heartbreak. The repetition softens the smallness, turning it into patience. Persian moms tell kids کم‌کم بزرگ می‌شی (kam-kam bozorg mishi, “little by little you’ll grow up”).

Cultural note

Saying something is کم can be polite ritual. When a host says غذا کمه (ghazâ kame, “the food is too little”), they almost certainly cooked enough for fifteen people. This is taarof: insisting on insufficiency to invite the guest to eat more. Recognize the move and respond with نه، خیلی هم زیاده (na, kheyli ham ziâde, “no, it’s plenty”). The kam-ziâd ping-pong is half of Iranian dinner-table grammar.

See also زیاد (ziâd).

Common phrases

کمی (kami) means “a little, a small amount,” with the indefinite suffix attached. کمتر (kamtar) is the comparative, “less, fewer.” کمترین (kamtarin) is the superlative, “the least.” بی‌کم و کاست (bi-kam-o-kâst, literally “without less and without lack”) means “perfectly, exactly, with nothing missing,” a fixed phrase Iranians use to praise a thorough job.

کم can also stand alone as a soft accusation. Saying کمه (kame, “it is too little”) to a partner who didn’t bring enough flowers, or to a child who didn’t write enough on a homework page, is gentle Iranian shorthand for “more, please.” Pair it with زیاد in conversation and you have the basic vocabulary of want, lack, abundance, and complaint that runs through every Iranian dinner table.