What it means
صندوق (sandogh) was borrowed from Arabic صندوق (sanduq), meaning a chest or box, and Persian has extended the word far beyond its physical origin. In a shop it can mean the cash register or till. In finance it means a fund, as in صندوق سرمایهگذاری (investment fund) or صندوق بازنشستگی (pension fund). In a home or office it can refer to a safe or strongbox. The word has no pure Persian equivalent that covers all these senses, so it fills an important gap in both everyday and formal registers. A related word learners may encounter is صندوقدار (sandoghdaar), meaning cashier or treasurer.
How to use it
- پول رو بذار توی صندوق. (pool ro bezar too-ye sandogh.) “Put the money in the cash box.”
- صندوق سرمایهگذاری خوبیه؟ (sandogh-e sarmayegozari khoobie?) “Is it a good investment fund?”
- صندوق امنیت بانک کجاست؟ (sandogh-e amniyat-e bank kojast?) “Where is the bank’s safe deposit box?”
- پول از صندوق برداشته شده. (pool az sandogh bardashte shode.) “Money has been taken from the fund.”
Cultural note
In Iran the word صندوق carries weight in two very different worlds. On the street, the صندوق of a small shop is simply the till where the owner keeps daily cash, often a metal box under the counter. At the institutional level, صندوقهای قرضالحسنه (interest-free loan funds, based on Islamic finance principles) are widespread in communities and mosques, offering small loans to members without charging interest. These community funds play a real social-welfare role and are a distinctive feature of Iranian financial culture.