What it means
سوختگی (sukhtegi) means a burn, specifically an injury caused by heat, fire, chemicals, or electricity. It is formed from the pure Persian verb سوختن (sukhtan), meaning to burn, via the past stem سوخت (sukht) plus the nominal suffix -egi, which in Persian creates abstract nouns describing a resulting state or condition. The same suffix pattern appears in words like خستگی (khastegi, tiredness from خستن) and سردرگمی (sardar-gomi, confusion). Burns are classified in Persian medical speech as درجه اول, دوم, سوم (daraje-ye avval, dovvom, sevvom), matching the first-, second-, third-degree scale used internationally.
How to use it
- سوختگی دستش خیلی بده. (sukhtegi-ye dastash kheli bade.) “The burn on his hand is very bad.”
- با آب سرد سوختگی رو خنک کن. (bâ âb-e sard sukhtegi ro khanak kon.) “Cool the burn with cold water.”
- سوختگی درجه دو نیاز به پزشک داره. (sukhtegi-ye daraje-ye do niyâz be pezeshk dâre.) “A second-degree burn needs a doctor.”
- کرم سوختگی از داروخونه گرفتم. (keram-e sukhtegi az dârukhune gereftam.) “I got burn cream from the pharmacy.”
Cultural note
Burns from cooking are a common household injury in Iran, where open-flame cooking and hot oil are everyday realities, and knowing the basic first aid for sukhtegi is practical knowledge. The Red Crescent Society and school health curricula both teach that running cold (not ice-cold) water over a burn for at least ten minutes is the correct first response. Traditional home remedies such as applying yogurt or toothpaste to a burn are still practiced in some households, though medical guidance consistently advises against them.