What it means
تولد (tavallod) means “birthday” or “birth.” The word is Arabic in origin, a verbal noun from the root و-ل-د (w-l-d), meaning “to give birth,” the same root found in the Arabic word مولود (mawlud, newborn). It entered Persian through centuries of Arabic influence and is now the standard everyday word for birthday. The most common phrase learners need first is تولدت مبارک (tavaldot mobarak), meaning “Happy Birthday.” There is no widely used pure Persian equivalent in modern speech.
How to use it
- تولدت مبارک! (tavaldot mobarak!) “Happy Birthday!”
- امروز تولد خواهرمه. (emruz tavallod-e khaaharam-e.) “Today is my sister’s birthday.”
- جشن تولدم رو خونه برگزار کردیم. (jashn-e tavaldam ro khune bargozar kardim.) “We held my birthday party at home.”
- تولدت چه روزیه؟ (tavalddat che ruzie?) “What day is your birthday?”
Cultural note
Birthday celebrations in Iran were not a traditional custom before the twentieth century. The modern practice of birthday parties, cakes, and candles entered Iranian urban life largely through Western influence in the Pahlavi era. Today, birthday parties are a standard social occasion, especially for children, in Iranian families both inside the country and in the diaspora. The phrase تولدت مبارک is universally understood and used across all age groups.