What it means
وزن کم کردن (vazn kam kardan) means “to lose weight.” It is a compound verb built from three parts: وزن (vazn), meaning “weight,” which entered Persian from Arabic; کم (kam), meaning “less” or “little,” a pure Persian word; and کردن (kardan), the all-purpose pure Persian verb “to do” or “to make.” The opposite is وزن اضافه کردن (vazn ezâfe kardan), “to gain weight.” In formal or medical writing you may also see کاهش وزن (kâhesh-e vazn), a more clinical phrase, but vazn kam kardan is what people actually say.
How to use it
- میخوام وزن کم کنم. (mikhâm vazn kam konam.) “I want to lose weight.”
- دکتر گفت باید وزن کم کنی. (doktor goft bâyad vazn kam koni.) “The doctor said you need to lose weight.”
- با ورزش و رژیم وزن کم کرد. (bâ varzesh o rezhim vazn kam kard.) “He/she lost weight through exercise and diet.”
- چقدر وزن کم کردی؟ (cheghadr vazn kam kardi?) “How much weight did you lose?”
Cultural note
Body weight is a topic Iranians discuss relatively openly in family and social settings. Comments like “چاق شدی” (châq shodi, “you’ve put on weight”) or the reverse “لاغر شدی” (lâghar shodi, “you’ve lost weight”) are common greetings between relatives and are not always meant critically. Fitness culture has grown noticeably in urban Iran, with gyms, aerobics classes, and outdoor exercise parks becoming widespread since the 2000s, making phrases around weight and fitness part of everyday vocabulary.