What it means
پاراف (parâf) means an initial or abbreviated signature, the kind of quick mark you place at the bottom of each page of a contract or on a form to show you have read and approved it. The word comes directly from French “paraphe,” which itself traces back to Medieval Latin and Greek roots meaning a marginal note. In Persian administrative and legal contexts, parâf is distinct from a full امضا (emzâ, signature): the امضا is your complete signed name, while the پاراف is a shorthand flourish that authenticates without the full formality. You will encounter this word on official contracts, government forms, and multi-page legal documents where each page requires initialling.
How to use it
- لطفاً پایین هر صفحه را پاراف بزنید. (Lotfan pâyin-e har safhe râ parâf bezanid.) “Please initial the bottom of each page.”
- بدون پاراف مدیر، این سند معتبر نیست. (Bedun-e parâf-e modir, in sanad mo’tabar nist.) “Without the manager’s initial, this document is not valid.”
- پاراف شما روی قرارداد کجاست؟ (Parâf-e shomâ ru-ye qarârdâd kojâst?) “Where is your initial on the contract?”
- فراموش کردم پاراف بزنم، باید برگردم دفتر. (Farâmush kardam parâf bezanam, bâyad bargardam daftar.) “I forgot to initial it, I have to go back to the office.”
Cultural note
In Iranian bureaucratic culture, the پاراف carries real legal weight. Multi-page contracts, property deeds, and notarized agreements all require a parâf on every page to prevent substitution of pages after signing. Government offices and notary publics (دفاتر اسناد رسمی) routinely reject documents with missing parâfs. The habit of parâf reflects a broader Persian administrative tradition of layered authentication, where a document may require the initials of multiple officials before it is considered complete.