What it means
کشتی (kashti) means ship, referring to a large sea-going or river vessel. It is a pure-Persian word, derived from the verb کشیدن (keshidan, “to pull” or “to draw”), which evokes the image of a vessel being drawn through the water or hauled by oars and sails. The word has been in use since ancient Persian and appears in classical literature. In modern speech کشتی covers everything from a cargo freighter to a passenger ferry. Note that کشتی also means “wrestling” in Persian, a completely separate meaning, so context matters when you encounter the word.
How to use it
- کشتی داره به بندر نزدیک میشه. (kashti dâre be bandar nazdik mishe.) “The ship is approaching the port.”
- با کشتی از بندر عباس رفتیم قشم. (bâ kashti az Bandar Abbâs raftim Gheshm.) “We took a ship from Bandar Abbas to Qeshm.”
- این کشتی بار نفت حمل میکنه. (in kashti bâr-e naft haml mikone.) “This ship carries oil cargo.”
- کشتی توی طوفان به مشکل خورد. (kashti tuye tufân be moshkel khord.) “The ship ran into trouble in the storm.”
Cultural note
Persian maritime history stretches back to the Achaemenid Empire, which maintained a navy in the Persian Gulf and used Phoenician and Egyptian sailors for major naval campaigns. The word کشتی appears in the poetry of Hafez and Rumi, often used as a metaphor for the soul navigating the ocean of existence. Today, Iran operates a commercial shipping fleet through the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, and ferry routes connecting the mainland to Persian Gulf islands such as Qeshm and Kish are a routine part of travel in southern Iran.