What it means
سود (sud) carries two related meanings that share the same core idea: gain. In commerce, it means profit: what you earn above your cost. In banking and finance, it means interest: the extra amount paid on top of a loan or earned on a deposit. It is a native Persian word from Middle Persian sūd (benefit, profit), found in classical literature and in everyday speech. Its direct opposite is ziân (زیان, loss), and knowing the pair sud o ziân (profit and loss) is enough to follow most basic business conversations.
How to use it
- سود بانکیم کمه. (sud-e bânkiam kame.) “My bank interest is low.”
- تو این معامله سود کردم. (tu in moâmele sud kardam.) “I made a profit on this deal.”
- نرخ سود رو چک کن. (nerkh-e sud ro chek kon.) “Check the interest rate.”
- سود این کار به کیه؟ (sud-e in kâr be kie?) “Who benefits from this?”
Cultural note
The word sud sits at the center of a live tension in Iranian finance. Islamic law prohibits rebâ (ربا), usually translated as usury or interest, so Iranian banks formally offer sud as a profit share or return on participation rather than as conventional interest. In practice, the rates function like interest and are set by the central bank. Most Iranians use sud and bahre (بهره) interchangeably for bank interest, though bahre is the term that appears more often in official banking language to sidestep the rebâ issue.