What it means
ورزش (varzesh) means sport, exercise, or physical training. It is a native Persian word, derived from the verb ورزیدن (varzidan), which in classical and Middle Persian meant to practise, cultivate, or work at something. Over time the meaning narrowed to refer specifically to physical activity and sport. The word covers everything from a morning walk to Olympic competition. A close companion word is تمرین (tamrin), which means training or practice and is used when the emphasis is on drilling a skill rather than sport in the broad sense.
How to use it
- ورزش کردن برای سلامتی مهمه. (varzesh kardan barâ-ye salâmati mohemme.) “Exercising is important for health.”
- هر روز صبح ورزش میکنم. (har ruz sobh varzesh mi-konam.) “I exercise every morning.”
- ورزش مورد علاقهات چیه؟ (varzesh-e mowred-e alâqe-at chiye?) “What is your favourite sport?”
- تیم ورزشی مدرسهمان قهرمان شد. (tim-e varzeshi-ye madresemân qahramân shod.) “Our school sports team became champion.”
Cultural note
Sport holds a prominent place in Iranian public life, and the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs (وزارت ورزش و جوانان) oversees a wide range of national programmes. Wrestling, weightlifting, and football are the sports with the deepest popular roots, while the zurkhâne tradition represents a distinctly Iranian form of varzesh that predates Islam. The word ورزش also appears in compound forms across many domains: ورزشگاه (varzeshgâh) is a stadium, ورزشکار (varzeshkâr) is an athlete, and ورزشی (varzeshi) functions as the adjective meaning athletic or sports-related.