What it means
پیانو (piyâno) is the Persian word for piano, the keyboard instrument whose full original name in Italian is “pianoforte” (soft-loud), referring to its ability to vary volume by touch. Dehkhoda records the word as Italian in ultimate origin; Vajehyab lists English as the immediate donor, reflecting the practical path by which it reached everyday Persian use. The instrument arrived in Iran during the Qajar period when Western music education spread among the Iranian elite. Persian uses the word unchanged in form and meaning. There is no distinct Persian synonym: piyâno is the standard word across all registers.
How to use it
- هر روز پیانو تمرین میکنم. (har ruz piyâno tamrin mikonam.) “I practice piano every day.”
- یه پیانو تو سالن داریم. (ye piyâno tu sâlon dârim.) “We have a piano in the living room.”
- پیانو نواختن خیلی سخته. (piyâno navâxtan xeyli saxte.) “Playing piano is very difficult.”
- اون دوره پیانو میره. (un dowre-ye piyâno mire.) “She goes to piano lessons.”
Cultural note
The piano was introduced to Iranian court culture during the Qajar dynasty in the nineteenth century, when European music teachers were invited to Tehran. By the twentieth century it had moved beyond the elite and became a common instrument for middle-class music education. Today piano schools (âmuzeshgâh-e piyâno) are found across Iranian cities, and the instrument appears frequently in Persian pop and film music alongside traditional instruments.