What it means
تومان (tomân) is the unit of currency that Iranians use in all everyday transactions, even though the ریال (riâl) remains the official legal currency. The word comes from the Mongol and Turkic word tümen, meaning ten thousand, reflecting its historical use as a military unit (ten thousand soldiers) and later as a monetary denomination during the Qajar era. One تومان equals ten ریال, so when a shopkeeper says “پنج هزار تومان,” the legal amount is fifty thousand rials. There is no close synonym: Iranians simply think and speak in تومان for all daily prices.
How to use it
- چند تومانه؟ (chand tomâne?) “How much is it (in tomans)?”
- پنج هزار تومان میشه. (panj hezâr tomân mishe.) “That comes to five thousand tomans.”
- ندارم، تومانم کمه. (nadâram, tomânam kame.) “I don’t have it, I’m short on money.”
- قیمتا خیلی بالا رفته. (gheymatâ kheili bâlâ rafte.) “Prices have gone up a lot.”
Cultural note
The gap between تومان and ریال is a source of constant confusion for visitors to Iran. All street prices, restaurant menus, and informal agreements are quoted in تومان, while bank receipts and legal documents show the amount in ریال, which is ten times larger. Iran’s parliament approved a redenomination plan to make تومان the official currency unit and remove a zero from the ریال, though implementation has been gradual. The word تومان is also used colloquially to mean money in general, the way English speakers might say “cash.”