سفید is the color of brides, of white rice on the Nowruz table, and of the hair you earn over a long life.
What it actually means
سفید (sefid) means “white.” It is the standard, all-register Persian word for the color and works for any white object: white walls, white paper, a white shirt, white snow. Persian also has an older near-synonym سپید (sepid), found in poetry and in fixed names. In modern speech سفید is the default; سپید is bookish.
How to use it
سفید is a regular adjective placed after the noun:
- برف سفید (barf-e sefid) “white snow”
- موی سفید (mu-ye sefid) “white hair”
- برنج سفید (berenj-e sefid) “white rice”
Comparative سفیدتر (sefid-tar), superlative سفیدترین (sefid-tarin). The verb سفید شدن (sefid shodan) means “to turn white,” used for hair turning gray, a face going pale, or a wall being painted.
How to say it
Formal (نوشتاری): سفید or سپید · sefid / sepid · “white”
Colloquial (محاوره): سفید · sefid
In a sentence
- عروس لباس سفید پوشید. · arus lebâs-e sefid pushid. · The bride wore a white dress.
- موهایش سفید شده. · muhâyash sefid shode. · His hair has turned white.
- دیوارها را سفید کردیم. · divâr-hâ râ sefid kardim. · We painted the walls white.
Cultural context
The white wedding dress in Iran is a 20th-century import that became universal: “لباس سفید عروس” is now the standard expectation, even in religious families, even in cities where older brides wore embroidered local dress. سفید also has its own cultural symbolism beyond weddings. Old age and wisdom: ریشسفید (rish-sefid, “white-bearded”) is a respected village or family elder who mediates disputes. Rice on the haft-sin and at every meal: سفیدبختی (sefid-bakhti, “white-fortuned,” meaning happiness, especially for a married couple) is a traditional blessing. In contrast, white can also signal absence: کاغذ سفید (kâghaz-e sefid, “white paper / blank paper”) and پرچم سفید (parcham-e sefid, “white flag” of surrender). The color is loaded with positive ritual weight in Iranian life, but it is not naive.
Related
Pair with سیاه (black, the opposite) and قرمز (red). For more see Persian colors guide.
References
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