What it means
پلنگ (palang) means leopard, specifically the Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor), the largest leopard subspecies in the world. The word is native Persian, descending from Middle Persian palang with no Arabic or Turkic source. In colloquial speech, پلنگ can also be used figuratively to describe someone fierce, bold, or predatory in personality. The Persian leopard should not be confused with the cheetah: the cheetah is یوزپلنگ (yuz-palang), a compound that uses پلنگ as its second element. Leopard and cheetah are often mixed up even among native speakers, so the distinction matters.
How to use it
- پلنگ ایرانی یکی از نادرترین گربهسانان جهانه. (palang-e Irâni yeki az nâdartarin gorbe-sânân-e jahân-e.) “The Persian leopard is one of the rarest big cats in the world.”
- پلنگ شبها شکار میکنه. (palang shab-hâ shekâr mikone.) “The leopard hunts at night.”
- توی البرز پلنگ دیده شده. (tu-ye Alborz palang dide shode.) “Leopards have been spotted in the Alborz.”
- اون آدم مثل پلنگه، باهاش مراقب باش. (oon âdam mesl-e palang-e, bâhâsh morâqeb bâsh.) “That person is like a leopard, be careful with him.”
Cultural note
The Persian leopard is critically endangered, with estimates suggesting fewer than 1,000 individuals remain across its range from Iran to Central Asia. In Iran, it survives mainly in the Alborz and Zagros mountain ranges and in protected areas such as Golestan National Park. The leopard was a royal symbol in pre-Islamic Persian art and is depicted on Achaemenid-era artifacts. Conservation organizations inside and outside Iran have made the Persian leopard a flagship species for wilderness protection in the region.