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

Sounds

2 sections

Your first reading job: find the vowels

≈ 3 min

What you'll learn

Farsi is read from right to left.
For now, do not memorise the alphabet: identify the letters that carry long vowels, then expect gaps where short vowels belong.
The vowels â, i and u are normally written with letters, although یy / i and وv / u / ow are not always vowels.
The vowels a, e and o are normally omitted: سگsag“dog” writes s + g and the reader supplies a.
Short-vowel marks exist, but ordinary Persian expects readers to work out the vowels from a known word and the sentence around it.
A final ه may be h or e depending on the word; learn it with the word.

Here is the task before you see a chart: begin at the right, move left, and look first for a visible long vowel. You are not expected to name every letter yet. In آبâb“water”, the opening آâ gives you the vowel. In سگsag“dog”, no vowel letter appears between s and g, so a reader supplies the short a from the word.

The six vowel sounds and how they are written

Sound	How it appears	Example
â — a long open vowel, near the a in father	آ at the start; usually ا elsewhere	آبâb“water”
i — ee in see	ی	شیرshir“milk; lion”
u — oo in food	و	دودdud“smoke”
a — a short front vowel, near cat	normally hidden; the teaching mark is ـَ	سگsag“dog”
e — e in bed	normally hidden; the teaching mark is ـِ	دلdel“heart”
o — a short rounded vowel	normally hidden; the teaching mark is ـُ	گلgol“flower”

These short-vowel marks are called fathe (a), kasre (e), and zamme (o). You may also meet the Arabic umbrella term tashkil or the Persian phrase harekat-gozâri, “adding vowel marks.”

The sentence can help you choose the pronunciation

مرد

mard — a man; or mord — died

The surrounding words tell you which missing short vowel makes sense.

کی

ki — who; or key — when

A dictionary or teaching text may add a short-vowel mark when needed.

خانه

khâne — house

Here final ه is e.

ماه

mâh — moon; month

Here final ه is h. Treat the pronunciation as part of the word.

Hear the hidden vowel in your head

Try the word from the consonants and any visible long vowel. Reveal after one attempt.

سگ
s + hidden vowel + g
Show answer +Hide answer −
سگsag“dog”
دل
d + hidden vowel + l
Show answer +Hide answer −
دلdel“heart”
گل
g + hidden vowel + l
Show answer +Hide answer −
گلgol“flower”