What it means
خرس (khers) means bear, the large omnivorous mammal. This is a native Persian word with roots stretching back to Old Iranian, related to the Avestan form arəša and cognate with Sanskrit ṛkṣa. It is the standard, everyday word used across Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan with no formal or colloquial split: خرس is simply خرس. In Persian idiom, خرس گنده (khers-e gonde) meaning big bear is used affectionately or mockingly for a large, clumsy person. The closest related terms are خرس قطبی (khers-e qotbi) for polar bear and خرس قهوهای (khers-e qahve’i) for brown bear.
How to use it
- خرسها در جنگلهای شمال ایران زندگی میکنند. (khers-hâ dar jangal-hâye shomâl-e Irân zendegi mikonand.) “Bears live in the forests of northern Iran.”
- بچهام از خرس خیلی میترسه. (bache-am az khers kheyli mitarse.) “My child is very scared of bears.”
- توی باغوحش یه خرس قهوهای دیدیم. (tu-ye bâgh-e vahsh ye khers-e qahve’i didim.) “We saw a brown bear at the zoo.”
- این خرس گنده چرا اینجا نشسته؟ (in khers-e gonde cherâ injâ neshaste?) “Why is this big oaf sitting here?”
Cultural note
Brown bears (خرس قهوهای) are found in the Alborz and Zagros mountain ranges in Iran, though their numbers have declined due to habitat loss and hunting. In Persian children’s literature and folklore, the bear is often a gentle, bumbling figure rather than a fearsome predator. The word خرس also appears in the old Persian name for the constellation Ursa Major (خرس بزرگ, khers-e bozorg), reflecting the ancient Iranian sky-watching tradition.