What it means
سفر (safar) means trip, journey, or travel. It entered Persian from Arabic, where the root s-f-r carries the core idea of setting out and moving away from home. In modern spoken Persian it is completely natural and neutral, used for anything from a weekend road trip to an international flight. The English word “safari” traces back to the same Arabic root through Swahili. A common contrast is between سفر (safar), the journey itself, and مسافرت (mosâferat), which stresses the experience or duration of being away.
How to use it
- سفر خوش گذشت؟ (safar khosh gozasht?) “Did you have a good trip?”
- داریم میریم سفر هفته دیگه. (dârim mirim safar hafte-ye dige.) “We are going on a trip next week.”
- اولین سفرم به خارج بود. (avalin safaram be khârej bud.) “It was my first trip abroad.”
- سفر با قطار خیلی راحتتره. (safar bâ qatâr kheili râhattare.) “Traveling by train is much more comfortable.”
Cultural note
Safar also gives Persian the rich compound سفرنامه (safarnâme), meaning travel memoir, a literary genre with a centuries-long tradition in Persian letters. Naser Khosrow’s eleventh-century safarnâme remains one of the most celebrated examples. The word appears in countless proverbs, reflecting how central the idea of journey is to Iranian imagination and values.