What it means
ریه (riye) is the Persian word for “lung,” the organ that fills with air when you breathe. It is a loanword from Arabic رئة (riʔa) and tends to sound a touch more formal or medical. In casual speech, many people instead say شش (shosh), the native Persian word that means exactly the same thing. You will hear ریه at the doctor’s office and in health talk, while شش is common at home.
How to use it
- ریههام درد میکنه. (riyeham dard mikone.) “My lungs hurt.”
- دکتر گفت ریههام سالمه. (doktor goft riyeham saalame.) “The doctor said my lungs are healthy.”
- سیگار به ریه آسیب میزنه. (sigaar be riye aasib mizane.) “Smoking damages the lungs.”
- یه نفس عمیق بکش تا ریههات پر بشه. (ye nafas-e amigh bekesh taa riyehaat por beshe.) “Take a deep breath so your lungs fill up.”
Cultural note
In Persian you will meet two words for “lung”: ریه (riye) and شش (shosh). They refer to the same organ, but ریه carries a cleaner, more clinical tone, so it shows up in medical settings, prescriptions, and health news. شش is the warmer, everyday word and also appears in cooking, since lung is part of the offal mix in some traditional dishes. When a doctor in Iran talks about lung infections or X-rays, ریه is usually the word of choice.