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.
Start here
1 sectionStart here: what this path does
- This path starts from no Farsi and ends with a short passage whose pronunciation and English begin hidden.
- You will attempt a word before revealing its pronunciation or meaning.
- The pronunciation guide follows educated Farsi as commonly spoken in Tehran; the spelling follows the form used in books.
- The Latin-letter pronunciation guide—often called romanization—is an approximation and a temporary aid, not a substitute for audio.
- Stop after any checkpoint. The alphabet reference is for looking things up, not memorising in one sitting.
This is short preparation for reading a book, not a complete grammar course. It teaches three things: how the writing system works, where the important pieces of a sentence sit, and enough recurring words to get through a first page with help.
Farsi and Persian are two names for the same language. It calls itself فارسیfârsi“Farsi”. The written language and everyday speech are not identical. This path teaches the written forms in Zaban books and points out a spoken form only when it helps pronunciation.
water
آب
âb
The large word is the spelling. âbâb is the pronunciation guide. The English is the meaning. At checkpoints, the last two stay hidden until you choose to reveal them.
How to use a checkpoint
Look at the Farsi first. Notice its direction and shape. Then reveal.
- آب
Start at the right edge. There are two letters.
Show answer +Hide answer −
آبâb“water”. Say “âb”.