خواب

What it means

خواب (khâb) covers two related meanings: sleep as a physical state, and a dream experienced during sleep. Both senses coexist in the single word, and context distinguishes them. رفتم خواب (raftam khâb, I went to sleep) describes the state; دیشب یه خواب دیدم (dishab ye khâb didam, last night I had a dream) describes the dream. The compound خواب دیدن (khâb didan, to see a dream) is the standard phrase for dreaming. The adjective خواب‌آلود (khâb-âlud) means sleepy or drowsy. خواب‌رفتگی (khâb-raftegi) describes a limb that has fallen asleep. The word is fully pure Persian and appears unchanged across classical poetry and everyday speech.

How to use it

• خوابم میاد (khâb-am miâd) “I’m getting sleepy.” (lit. sleep is coming to me)
• دیشب خواب دیدم که… (dishab khâb didam ke…) “Last night I dreamed that…”
• برو بخواب (boro bokhâb) “Go to sleep.”
• پام خواب رفته (pâ-am khâb rafte) “My foot has fallen asleep.”

Cultural note

Dream interpretation, تعبیر خواب (ta’bir-e khâb), is a living tradition in Iranian culture. Many Iranians consult online or print dream dictionaries and mention their dreams to family members the morning after, asking برات تعبیر کنم؟ (barât ta’bir konam?, shall I interpret it for you?). Dreams featuring religious figures, the deceased, or specific symbols carry particular weight. The genre of تعبیر خواب literature has an unbroken lineage from medieval Islamic scholarship into contemporary Iranian popular culture.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab