What it means
پنکه (panke) means “fan,” the electric machine with spinning blades that moves air to cool a room, whether it stands on the floor, sits on a table, or hangs from the ceiling. The word entered Persian from Hindi पंखा (paṅkhâ), ultimately from Sanskrit पक्ष (pakṣá), meaning “wing.” It is now the plain, everyday term in any home. Note the contrast with بادبزن (bâdbezan), the older Persian word for a hand fan you wave yourself, while پنکه is specifically the electric one.
How to use it
- پنکه رو روشن کن (panke ro roshan kon) “turn the fan on”
- هوا گرمه، پنکه رو بذار رو دور تند (havâ garme, panke ro bezâr ru dor-e tond) “it’s hot, put the fan on high speed”
- پنکه سقفی اتاق خراب شده (panke-ye saqfi-ye otâq kharâb shode) “the room’s ceiling fan is broken”
- شب با صدای پنکه راحتتر میخوابم (shab bâ sedâ-ye panke râhat-tar mikhâbam) “at night I sleep more easily with the sound of the fan”
Cultural note
In much of Iran the climate is hot and dry, and a پنکه is a common, cheap alternative to a cooler in homes, shops, and offices. Standing fans and ceiling fans are everyday fixtures. For stronger cooling, the evaporative cooler (کولر آبی, kuler âbi) is widely used, since the dry heat makes it very effective.