What it means
کرایه (kerâye) means rent, hire, or fare. It came into Persian from Arabic كِرَاء (kirâ’), which denotes payment for the use of something. While اجاره (ejâre) is reserved for formal property leases, کرایه is the everyday spoken word and covers a much wider range: the taxi fare, the moving-truck hire, the bus ticket, and casual mention of apartment rent. When a Tehrani asks how much the taxi costs, they say کرایه چنده (kerâye chande), not اجاره. The word fills an important gap as the colloquial, high-frequency term for any payment made to use something temporarily.
How to use it
- کرایه تاکسی تا میدون چقدره؟ (kerâye-ye tâksi tâ meydun cheghadr-e?) “How much is the taxi fare to the square?”
- کرایه خونه رو دادی؟ (kerâye-ye khune ro dâdi?) “Did you pay the rent?”
- کرایه اتوبوس گرون شده. (kerâye-ye otobus gerun shode.) “The bus fare has gone up.”
- ماشین کرایه کردیم برای سفر. (mâshin kerâye kardim barâ-ye safar.) “We hired a car for the trip.”
Cultural note
In colloquial Tehran Persian, کرایه is the default word for any transport payment. Drivers of shared taxis and ride-hailing services all use it: کرایه رو بده (kerâye ro bede), meaning pay the fare. Because public transport fares in Iran have historically been heavily subsidized, a sharp rise in کرایه makes headline news and is felt immediately by ordinary commuters. The word also appears in bargaining contexts at bazaars and markets, where a seller may frame part of a cost as کرایه حمل (kerâye-ye haml), the carriage or delivery charge.