Lessons for English speakers
Learn to read Farsi
A short, active path into reading Farsi: learn the Persian script in useful groups, decode words before revealing their pronunciation, follow the verb to the end, and read a small story before opening your first book.
13 core sections · ≈ 31 min + 4 optional lookups · ≈ 44 min with everything
6
Numbers: the digits on the page and the words for them
≈ 2 min
What you'll learn
- Persian writes its own digits: ۰۱۲۳۴۵۶۷۸۹.
- A number runs left to right even inside a right-to-left line.
- Page numbers and chapter numbers are usually the first Persian on a page that is not a word.
- ۴ ۵ ۶ are drawn differently from the Arabic ٤ ٥ ٦; the other seven digits look the same in both.
- نه is “nine” and also “no” — one spelling, two hidden vowels, settled by the sentence.
Zero to ten
| Digit | Value | Word |
|---|---|---|
| ۰ | 0 | صفرsefr |
| ۱ | 1 | یکyek |
| ۲ | 2 | دوdo |
| ۳ | 3 | سهse |
| ۴ | 4 | چهارchahâr |
| ۵ | 5 | پنجpanj |
| ۶ | 6 | ششshesh |
| ۷ | 7 | هفتhaft |
| ۸ | 8 | هشتhasht |
| ۹ | 9 | نهnoh |
| ۱۰ | 10 | دهdah |
Everyday Tehrani speech often shortens two of these: چهارchahâr is commonly heard as châr and ششshesh as shish. Books write the full forms.
A few larger numbers, and the pattern behind the teens
| Digits | Word | Value |
|---|---|---|
| ۱۱ | یازدهyâzdah | 11 |
| ۱۲ | دوازدهdavâzdah | 12 |
| ۱۳ | سیزدهsizdah | 13 |
| ۲۰ | بیستbist | 20 |
| ۱۰۰ | صدsad | 100 |
The teens all end in ـده-dah, the word for ten. دوازدهdavâzdah is the number in the title of the first book this lesson sends you to.
Read a number before you read the word
- ۷
Show answer +Hide answer −
Seven — هفتhaft. - ۱۲
Digits go left to right.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Twelve — دوازدهdavâzdah. - نه
Two possible hidden vowels.
Show answer +Hide answer −
نهnoh“nine” or نهna“no”. Same letters; the sentence decides.