What it means
خروجی (khoruji) means “exit” or “way out.” Like its partner ورودی (vorudi, entrance), it is built on an Arabic verbal root, خ-ر-ج (kharaja, to go out or leave), with the Persian nominalizing suffix ‑ی (-i) attached to turn the action into the place. You will find خروجی on highway off-ramps, fire-escape doors, metro platforms, shopping centers, and airports. A useful contrast to know is ورودی (vorudi, entrance) and خروجی (khoruji, exit), since the two almost always appear together on signs.
How to use it
- خروجی اضطراری کجاست؟ (khoruji-ye eztirâri kojâst?) “Where is the emergency exit?”
- از اون خروجی برو بیرون. (az oon khoruji boro birun.) “Go out through that exit.”
- خروجی بزرگراه رو از دست دادم. (khoruji-ye bozorgrâh ro az dast dâdam.) “I missed the highway exit.”
- خروجی متروی ولیعصر کدومه؟ (khoruji-ye metro-ye vali-asr kodume?) “Which exit is the Vali Asr metro?”
Cultural note
Navigating Tehran’s metro system, which began commercial operations in the early 2000s and now carries millions of riders daily, relies heavily on knowing which خروجی to take. Stations often have four or more exits, each labeled by street name, and taking the wrong one can leave you a long walk from your destination. On the highway network, خروجی signs for major interchanges sometimes appear only a few hundred meters before the ramp, so drivers need to know the name of their exit in advance rather than relying on last-second signage.