What it means
زبان کوچک (zabân-e kuček) is the everyday Persian name for the uvula, the small soft flap that dangles at the back of the throat above the root of the tongue. The name is built from two native Persian words: زبان (zabân), “tongue,” and کوچک (kuček), “small,” so it literally reads as “little tongue.” In more formal or medical Persian you will also see ملازه (malâze) and زبانک (zabânak), but in normal speech almost everyone says زبان کوچک.
How to use it
- زبان کوچکم ورم کرده. (zabân-e kuček-am varam karde.) “My uvula is swollen.”
- دکتر گفت زبان کوچکت قرمز شده. (doktor goft zabân-e kuček-et qermez shode.) “The doctor said your uvula has turned red.”
- وقتی دهنم رو باز میکنم زبان کوچکم معلومه. (vaqti dahan-am ro bâz mikonam zabân-e kuček-am ma’lume.) “When I open my mouth, my uvula is visible.”
- زبان کوچکم رو تو آینه دیدم. (zabân-e kuček-am ro tu âyne didam.) “I saw my uvula in the mirror.”
Cultural note
The compound zabân-e kuček shows a common Persian habit of naming body parts by comparing them to something familiar, in this case treating the uvula as a tiny version of the tongue. Many Iranian families first learn the term when a child has a sore throat, since a swollen or inflamed uvula (ورم زبان کوچک) is a frequent complaint that brings people to the doctor. The Latin name “uvula” follows the same naming logic in another direction, since it means “little grape.”