What it means
لحاف (lahâf) means “duvet,” “quilt,” or “comforter,” the thick padded cover you sleep under to stay warm. It came into Persian from Arabic (root meaning “to wrap” or “to cover”), and it is now an everyday household word. A لحاف is the warm top layer of bedding, usually filled with cotton or down. It pairs with تشک (toshak), the mattress you lie on, so people often say لحاف و تشک together to mean a whole set of bedding.
How to use it
- لحاف رو بکش روت (lahâf ro bekesh rut) “pull the duvet over yourself”
- سردمه، یه لحاف بنداز روم (sardame, ye lahâf bendâz rum) “I’m cold, throw a quilt over me”
- لحاف و تشک رو پهن کن (lahâf-o toshak ro pahn kon) “lay out the bedding”
- بچه از زیر لحاف اومد بیرون (bache az zir-e lahâf umad birun) “the kid came out from under the duvet”
Cultural note
In many Iranian homes, especially older or traditional ones, bedding is laid out on the floor at night and folded away into a closet during the day, so the لحاف is something you handle daily. In winter, a heavy لحاف is also draped over the کرسی (korsi), the low table with a heater underneath, and the family tucks their legs under it to stay warm. Cotton-filled لحاف و تشک sets are still common, and many families have them remade or refluffed by a لحافدوز (quilt maker) every few years.