What it means
راهپله (râh-pelle) is the standard Persian word for a staircase or stairwell, the fixed structure of steps connecting floors inside a building. Both parts of the compound are native Persian: راه (râh) means road or path, and پله (pelle) means step or stair. The result is literally a path of steps. A close synonym is پلکان (pelkân), which tends to appear in more formal or literary writing, while راهپله is the word you will hear in everyday conversation.
How to use it
- راهپله اضطراری کجاست؟ (râh-pelle ezterâri kojâst?) “Where is the emergency stairwell?”
- آسانسور نداره، باید از راهپله بری. (âsânsor nadâre, bâyad az râh-pelle beri.) “It has no elevator, you have to use the stairs.”
- صدا از راهپله میومد. (sedâ az râh-pelle miyumad.) “The sound was coming from the stairwell.”
- راهپله ساختمون تاریکه، مواظب باش. (râh-pelle sâkhtemun târike, movâzeb bâsh.) “The building stairwell is dark, be careful.”
Cultural note
In older Tehran apartment blocks, the راهپله is often the social hub of a building: neighbors greet each other there, children play on the landings, and packages are left by the door. Many buildings from the 1960s and 1970s have no elevator at all, making the راهپله the only route to upper floors. In newer high-rises, building codes require a separate emergency stairwell marked راهپله اضطراری, distinct from the main راهپله.