What it means
مسافر (mosâfer) means traveler or passenger. The word comes directly from Arabic, where it is the active participle of the root s-f-r (meaning to travel), so its literal sense is “one who travels.” In everyday Persian it covers anyone in transit: the person on a bus, a plane, or a long road trip. A close related noun is مسافرت (mosâferat), meaning the act of traveling or a stay away from home.
How to use it
- مسافران لطفاً به خط یک بروند. (mosâfarân lotfan be khatt-e yek berand.) “Passengers, please go to line one.”
- چند تا مسافر تو ماشین بود؟ (chand tâ mosâfer tu mâshin bud?) “How many passengers were in the car?”
- اون یه مسافر قدیمی این مسیره. (un ye mosâfer-e qadimi-ye in masir-e.) “He is a longtime traveler on this route.”
- هتل فقط برای مسافرا باز بود. (hotel faqat barâye mosâfarâ bâz bud.) “The hotel was open only for travelers.”
Cultural note
In Iranian culture, travel carries a warm social weight. Neighbors and relatives routinely gather to see a traveler off, and the phrase “مسافر خونه” (mosâfer-khune), meaning guesthouse, shows how hosting travelers became embedded in the language itself. The word مسافر also appears in classical poetry, often as a metaphor for the human soul passing through the world.