What it means
شیمی (shimi) means chemistry, the science that studies the composition, structure, and transformation of matter. Persian borrowed this word from French chimie, which itself traces back through Medieval Latin and Greek to Arabic الكيمياء (al-kimiya), the art of alchemy. So the word has traveled a long journey: Arabic to Latin to French and then back into Persian in a new form. A related word is شیمیدان (shimi-dan), meaning chemist. The contrast شیمی آلی (shimi-ye ali) versus شیمی معدنی (shimi-ye madani) means organic versus inorganic chemistry.
How to use it
- شیمی سختترین درسمه. (shimi sakht-tarin darsame.) “Chemistry is my hardest subject.”
- اون داره توی آزمایشگاه شیمی کار میکنه. (un dare tu-ye azmayeshgah-e shimi kar mi-kone.) “He is working in the chemistry lab.”
- شیمی آلی با ترکیبات کربندار سر و کار داره. (shimi-ye ali ba tarkibat-e karbon-dar sar o kar dare.) “Organic chemistry deals with carbon compounds.”
- دخترم میخواد مهندسی شیمی بخونه. (dokhtaram mi-khad mohandesi-ye shimi bekhune.) “My daughter wants to study chemical engineering.”
Cultural note
Iranian scholars made foundational contributions to chemistry and alchemy in the medieval Islamic world. Abu Bakr al-Razi, known in the West as Rhazes, was a ninth-century Persian polymath whose chemical experiments and classifications influenced European science for centuries. Today Iran has a strong tradition in chemistry education, and شیمی is a compulsory subject in all Iranian high schools. The university entrance exam, known as کنکور (konkur), includes a dedicated chemistry section that carries significant weight.