What it means
ترسو (tarsu) means cowardly or easily scared. It is built entirely from Persian materials: the noun ترس (tars, fear), from the verb ترسیدن (tarsidan, to be afraid), plus the suffix ـو (-u), which in Persian attaches to nouns to create an adjective-noun meaning “one who is full of X” or “one who habitually does X.” The word is colloquial and often used teasingly, especially with children. The opposite is شجاع (shojâ, brave). A close synonym is بزدل (bozdel), which is slightly stronger and more contemptuous.
How to use it
- ترسو نباش، برو جلو. (Tarsu nabâsh, boro jelo.) “Don’t be a coward, go ahead.”
- اون از سگ میترسه، خیلی ترسوئه. (Oon az sag mitarse, kheyli tarsu-e.) “He is afraid of dogs, he is such a coward.”
- بچهها بهش میگن ترسو چون از تاریکی فرار میکنه. (Bachche-hâ behesh migan tarsu chon az târiki farâr mikone.) “The kids call him a scaredy-cat because he runs from the dark.”
- من ترسو نیستم، فقط احتیاط میکنم. (Man tarsu nistam, faghat ehtiyât mikonam.) “I am not a coward, I am just being careful.”
Cultural note
ترسو is one of the earliest insults Persian-speaking children learn, and it functions almost identically to the English “scaredy-cat.” It is rarely used with genuine cruelty among adults, though بزدل fills that harsher role when needed. In Persian storytelling and proverbs, cowardice is frequently contrasted with the ideal of courage or manliness (مردانگی), giving ترسو an implicit cultural charge even in lighthearted use.