What it means
کلید زدن (kelid zadan) means to press a key or flip a switch. The noun کلید (kelid) descends from Middle Persian klēd; its deeper origins are debated, with some sources proposing Semitic roots. In modern Persian, کلید covers a physical door key, a keyboard key, and a light switch. The light verb زدن (zadan) is used for short, purposeful striking or pressing actions, making it the natural fit for flipping switches and pressing buttons. Context determines whether the speaker means a keyboard shortcut, a light switch, or something else. A related phrase, کلید انداختن (kelid andâkhtan), specifically means to insert and turn a key in a lock.
How to use it
- کلید برق رو بزن. (kelid-e barq ro bezan.) “Flip the light switch.”
- این کلید رو بزن. (in kelid ro bezan.) “Press this key.”
- اشتباهی کلید زدم. (eshtebâhi kelid zadam.) “I pressed the wrong key by mistake.”
- یه بار کلید بزن ببین چی میشه. (ye bâr kelid bezan bebin chi mishe.) “Press the key once and see what happens.”
Cultural note
کلید as a word has deep symbolic weight in Persian culture beyond its literal meaning. The key is a recurring image in Persian poetry and folk belief, associated with unlocking the divine or the secrets of the heart. During the Iran-Iraq War, the Islamic Republic distributed plastic keys to young soldiers as symbols of entry into paradise, a fact that has been widely documented. Today, kelid is also a common metaphor in everyday speech for a solution or the crucial factor in solving a problem.