اتاق خواب (otâq-e khâb) is the bedroom, the “room of sleep.” One of the simplest, cleanest noun-phrase compounds Persian builds.
What it actually means
اتاق خواب is the Persian word for bedroom. The phrase is a classic ezafe construction: اتاق (otâq) “room” + خواب (khâb) “sleep,” linked by the ezafe vowel -e. The result is “room of sleep,” which Persian uses for any sleeping room, in apartment listings, real estate ads, and everyday speech. The word اتاق is itself a Turkic loanword (from oda, “room”), while خواب is native Iranian. The compound is mixed in origin but feels entirely Persian after centuries of use. A two-bedroom apartment is a خانه دو خوابه (khâne-ye do khâbe) “a two-sleep house,” using the same root خواب in adjective form. Persian counts bedrooms by counting sleeps.
How to say it
Formal
otâq-e khâb
“bedroom”
اتاق خواب
Colloquial (Tehrani)
otâq-e khâb
unchanged; spoken quickly the ezafe nearly disappears
اتاق خواب
In fast speech the linking ezafe -e collapses into a near-glide. Stress sits on the final syllable of خواب: o-tâ-qe-KHÂB.
How to use it
- اتاق خوابم کوچیکه. · otâq-e khâb-am kuchik-e. · My bedroom is small. (colloquial)
- یک خانه دو خوابه میخواهم. · yek khâne-ye do khâbe mikhâham. · I want a two-bedroom house.
- بچهها در اتاق خواب هستند. · bachche-hâ dar otâq-e khâb hastand. · The kids are in the bedroom.
Common pairings
- دو خوابه (do khâbe) “two-bedroom” (real estate adjective)
- اتاق خواب اصلی (otâq-e khâb-e asli) “master bedroom”
- اتاق خواب بچه (otâq-e khâb-e bachche) “children’s bedroom”
Cultural note
Bedroom counts dominate Iranian real estate language exactly the way they do in English. Listings use the format khâne-ye do khâbe “two-bedroom house,” se khâbe, châhâr khâbe. اتاق خواب اصلی (otâq-e khâb-e asli) is the master bedroom, the larger room with private bathroom in newer apartments. In traditional Iranian houses, the concept of a permanent dedicated bedroom barely existed: rooms changed function across the day, with bedding rolled out at night and stored away in the morning, leaving the room available for sitting, eating, or guests. Modern Iranian apartments follow international layouts, with fixed bedrooms, but older Iranians still sometimes sleep on bedding rolled out across a thick carpet in any quiet room.
Related
You’ll see this word together with اتاق مهمان (otâq-e mehmân) “guest room” and خانه (khâne) “home.” For more on Persian compound nouns, browse our Grammar section.
ZabanYar is a Persian app built for heritage learners, the people who can speak a little but want to read, write, and really get it. Free early access at launch.
Join the waitlist →