What it means
کلاود (kelâwd) is borrowed from English “cloud” in the computing sense and refers to remote server infrastructure used for storing files, running software, or delivering services over the internet. You will hear it in phrases like کلاود استوریج (kelâwd storij, cloud storage) and ذخیره در کلاود (zakhire dar kelâwd, save to the cloud). The Academy of Persian Language has proposed ابر (abr, cloud in the sky) as a native equivalent, and ابررایانش (abr-râyanesh, cloud computing) appears in formal and academic writing. In everyday speech, however, کلاود is the dominant term, especially among younger tech users.
How to use it
- فایلم رو تو کلاود ذخیره کردم. (Fâylam ro tu kelâwd zakhire kardam.) “I saved my file to the cloud.”
- کلاودت پره. (Kelâwdet pore.) “Your cloud storage is full.”
- بکآپم رو کلاود میگیره. (Bek-âpam ro kelâwd migiré.) “My backup goes to the cloud.”
- سرویس کلاودی داری؟ (Servis-e kelâwdi dâri?) “Do you have a cloud service subscription?”
Cultural note
Cloud adoption in Iran has been shaped by international sanctions, which have blocked access to major Western services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud for users inside the country without a VPN. This has pushed Iranian companies to develop domestic cloud platforms, with providers like Arvan Cloud and Sotoon operating entirely within the National Information Network. As a result, Iranians who follow tech news encounter both the loanword کلاود for foreign services and the Persian term ابر for domestic alternatives, sometimes within the same article.