مهم

What it means

مهم (mohemm) means important or significant. It is borrowed from Arabic مُهِمّ (muhimm), the active participle of the root ه-م-م (h-m-m) relating to concern, gravity, and significance. In Persian the word is fully naturalized and used across all registers. On its own, مهم describes anything that matters or carries weight. The negated form مهم نیست (mohemm nist) is one of the most versatile phrases in the language: depending on context and tone it means it doesn’t matter, never mind, no big deal, or don’t worry about it.

How to use it

• مهم نیست، فراموش کن (mohemm nist, farâmush kon) “It doesn’t matter, forget it.”
• این خیلی مهمه (in kheyli mohemme) “This is very important.”
• مهم اینه که اومدی (mohemm ine ke umadi) “What matters is that you came.”
• برام مهم نیست (baram mohemm nist) “It doesn’t matter to me.”

Cultural note

مهم نیست is one of the signature phrases of Iranian hospitality and grace. When a guest apologizes for arriving late, breaking something, or making a small mistake, the host almost reflexively says مهم نیست to signal that the relationship matters more than the incident. Using it warmly and immediately is a mark of good character. Withholding it, or pausing before saying it, can be read as a quiet expression of disappointment.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab