What it means
تشکیلات (tashkilât) means an organization, apparatus, or structured body. It comes from Arabic, built on the root ش-ک-ل (the same root as شکل, form or shape), through the form II masdar تشکیل (forming, establishing) with the Arabic plural ending -ât added. In Persian it is a formal word, used mainly in writing, news, and official speech. It refers to large, structured entities: a political party apparatus, a military organization, or a bureaucratic structure. A simpler and more everyday word for organization is سازمان (sâzmân), which is pure Persian and fits both formal and informal use.
How to use it
- حزب تشکیلات پیچیدهای دارد. (hezb tashkilât-e pichide’i dârad.) “The party has a complex organizational structure.”
- این تشکیلات زیر نظر دولت کار میکند. (in tashkilât zir-e nazar-e dowlat kâr mikonad.) “This apparatus operates under government supervision.”
- تشکیلات اداری کشور باید اصلاح بشه. (tashkilât-e edâri-ye keshvar bâyad eslâh beshe.) “The country’s administrative apparatus needs to be reformed.”
- آنها تشکیلات جدیدی برای مدیریت بحران ساختند. (ânhâ tashkilât-e jadidi barâye modiriyyat-e bohrân sâkhtand.) “They built a new organization to manage the crisis.”
Cultural note
تشکیلات often carries an implicit weight in Persian political speech, suggesting a large, hierarchical, and somewhat opaque structure. In Iranian media, the word is frequently used when discussing state security bodies, political factions, or international organizations. Its formal register makes it unsuitable for casual conversation: you would say سازمان or گروه (group) when speaking with friends, and reserve تشکیلات for institutional contexts.