What it means
مغز (maghz) is the everyday Persian word for “brain,” the organ inside your skull. It is a native Persian word that goes back to Middle Persian mazg, and it is related to the English word “marrow.” The same word also means the soft part inside a hard shell, so مغز covers a walnut kernel and bone marrow too. For the abstract sense of “mind” or “thought,” Persian often uses ذهن (zehn) instead.
How to use it
- مغزم داره میترکه (maghzam dare mitarke) “my brain is bursting.”
- مغزش خوب کار میکنه (maghzesh khub kar mikone) “his brain works well.”
- مغز گردو خیلی خوشمزهست (maghze gerdu kheyli khoshmazas) “walnut kernels are really tasty.”
- به مغزم فشار آوردم (be maghzam feshar avardam) “I racked my brain.”
Cultural note
Because مغز means both “brain” and “kernel,” Persian treats the brain as the precious core inside the hard shell of the skull, the same way a nut hides its best part inside. In cooking, مغز استخوان (maghze ostokhan), or bone marrow, is prized in dishes like آبگوشت. There is also a common insult, مغز خر خوردن (maghze khar khordan), literally “eating donkey brain,” used to mock someone who is acting foolishly.