What it means
زخم (zakhm) means wound, sore, or cut. Unlike most Persian medical vocabulary, this word is genuinely native: it descends from Middle Persian zaxm and has no Arabic origin. It covers physical injuries from a small cut or blister to a deep wound or ulcer, and it also carries a strong metaphorical weight in Persian poetry and everyday speech for emotional hurt. A close clinical synonym is جراحت (jarahat), which comes from Arabic and leans more formal. In spoken Persian, زخم is the natural, everyday choice.
How to use it
- زخمم عفونت کرده، باید پیش دکتر برم. (zakhmam ofonat karde, bayad pish doktor baram.) “My wound has gotten infected, I need to go to the doctor.”
- این زخم باید پانسمان بشه. (in zakhm bayad pansman beshe.) “This wound needs to be bandaged.”
- زخم معده دارم و غذای سنگین نمیتونم بخورم. (zakhm-e ma’de daram va ghazaye sangin nemitunam bokhoram.) “I have a stomach ulcer and cannot eat heavy food.”
- حرفاش مثل زخم رو دلم موند. (harfash mesl zakhm ru delam mund.) “His words stayed on my heart like a wound.”
Cultural note
زخم appears throughout classical Persian poetry, from Hafez to Rumi, as a metaphor for the pain of love and separation. This dual life, medical and poetic, is unusual and reflects how deeply the word is rooted in the language. In a clinical setting today, زخم معده (stomach ulcer) and زخم بستر (bedsore) are standard compound terms used in hospitals across Iran.