What it means
میخ (mikh) means nail, the metal fastener driven into wood or a wall. The word is native Persian, from Middle Persian mex, and has been in continuous use across the full history of the language. It refers specifically to the metal pin kind of nail, as distinct from the fingernail (ناخن, nâkhon). In everyday speech you will hear میخ کوبیدن (mikh kubidan) to mean hammering in a nail, and the word also appears in figurative use: someone described as میخکوب (mikh-kub) is rooted to the spot, literally nailed down by shock or awe.
How to use it
- یه میخ تو دیوار کوبیدم. (ye mikh tu divâr kubidam.) “I hammered a nail into the wall.”
- از این میخ کتم رو آویزون کن. (az in mikh ketam ro âvizun kon.) “Hang my coat on this nail.”
- میخ پام رفت تو تخته. (mikh-e pâm raft tu takhte.) “A nail went into my foot from the board.”
- میخ داری؟ چند تا لازم دارم. (mikh dâri? chand tâ lâzem dâram.) “Do you have nails? I need a few.”
Cultural note
میخ is one of the oldest Persian tool words still in active daily use, unchanged in form from its Middle Persian ancestor. In traditional Iranian construction, wooden pegs and nails were used extensively in mud-brick and timber roof structures, making the nail a foundational household object. The figurative phrase میخ کوبیدن on a location also means to settle somewhere permanently, the way a tent peg anchors a dwelling, reflecting how deeply this simple tool is embedded in the language’s metaphorical life.