شرق
شرق (sharq) means “east” and is borrowed from Arabic sharq, rooted in the idea of sunrise. It names the compass direction and also echoes in the Arabic phrase Sharq-ol-Awsat (Middle East), though Persian uses خاورمیانه for that concept.
Glossary
جنوب
جنوب (jonub) means “south” and is borrowed from Arabic janub, the word for the south wind. It names both the compass direction and Iran’s southern regions, from the oil fields of Khuzestan to the Persian Gulf ports.
شمال
شمال (shomâl) is an Arabic-origin word meaning “north.” In Iranian everyday speech it also refers to the Caspian coastal provinces, the destination of choice for summer travel and weekend escapes.
مستقیم
مستقیم (mostaghim) means “straight ahead” or “direct.” Borrowed from Arabic mustaqim (root q-w-m, “to stand upright”), it is the formal and written counterpart to the native Persian راست in its meaning of straightness.
راست
راست (râst) is a pure Persian word with three overlapping meanings: “right” (the direction), “straight” (as in a straight road), and “true” or “honest.” Its semantic breadth makes it one of the richest A1 words in the language.
چپ
چپ (chap) means “left” in Persian. A pure Persian word from Middle Persian, it names the left side and left hand, and carries a mild sense of awkwardness in colloquial speech.
ترافیک
ترافیک (terâfik) means traffic or road congestion, borrowed from French trafic. Tehran is one of the world’s most congested cities, making this word a fixture of daily conversation.
دربست
دربست (darbast) means a private taxi hire for one party only, a pure-Persian compound of dar (door) and bast (closed). The opposite is the shared savâri taxi that picks up strangers.
مسیر
مسیر (masir) means route, path, or course, an Arabic loanword from the root s-y-r (to travel, to move). Slightly more formal than راه (way), it is standard in navigation, transport, and hiking contexts.
آدرس
آدرس (âdres) means address or directions, borrowed from French adresse. It covers both a postal address and verbal directions. There is no native Persian equivalent in common use.