کوچه

What it means

کوچه (kuche) means “alley” or “narrow lane.” A small residential street, typically too narrow for two cars to pass. Foundation A2 vocabulary for Iranian urban geography.

How to use it

• کوچه‌ی ما (kuche-ye mâ) “our alley”
• سر کوچه (sar-e kuche) “at the head of the alley”
• توی کوچه بازی می‌کنیم (tuye kuche bâzi mikonim) “We play in the alley”

Common pairings

• کوچه‌پس‌کوچه (kuche-pas-kuche) “back alleys, winding side streets”
• بن‌بست (bonbast) “dead end” (often paired with کوچه)
• کوچه و خیابان (kuche-vo-khiyâbân) “streets and alleys” (idiomatic for “everywhere in town”)

Cultural note

The کوچه is the social heart of an old Iranian neighborhood. Children play there, neighbors chat from doorways, and vendors push carts through. Modern apartment blocks have eroded this, but the word still carries warmth.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab