What it means
راست (râst) is a pure Persian word descended from Middle Persian and related to Avestan. It covers three related meanings in one form: the direction “right” (opposite of چپ), the quality of being “straight” or “direct” (as in a road or path), and the moral quality of being “true” or “honest.” Context almost always resolves which sense is meant. A close directional synonym is سمت راست (samat-e râst, “the right-hand side”), while the meaning of truthful overlaps with صادق (sâdeq), an Arabic-origin adjective.
How to use it
- بعد از پل، راست بپیچ. (ba’d az pol, râst bepich.) “After the bridge, turn right.”
- این خیابون مستقیم نیست، ولی اون یکی راسته. (in khiâbun mostaghim nist, vali oon yeki râste.) “This street is not straight, but that one is.”
- راست بگو، کجا بودی؟ (râst begu, kojâ budi?) “Tell the truth, where were you?”
- دستم رو بده، طرف راست بایست. (dastam ro bede, taraf-e râst bâyest.) “Give me your hand, stand on the right side.”
Cultural note
The semantic overlap between “right direction,” “straight line,” and “truth” in a single Persian word reflects an ancient worldview in which physical directness and moral honesty were felt to be the same quality. This is not unique to Persian: similar convergences appear in Latin (rectus) and English (right, upright), but in Persian the word راست remains a living, everyday form carrying all three senses without any of them feeling archaic. In Iranian driving culture, the phrase راست بپیچ (râst bepich, “turn right”) is as ordinary as a traffic sign.