When Iranians greet each other, they take their time and converse about general things. The most common greeting is "salaam alaykum" or more simply "salaam" (hello). Iranians give gifts at various social occasions such as returning from a trip or if someone achieves a major success in their personal or business life.
If you're wondering how to greet people you meet on the streets, start by learning basic Farsi greetings. To say “hello,” you would use “salaam alaykum” (may peace be upon you) or simply “salaam” (peace). If you're leaving, you can part ways by saying “khoda hafez,” which means, “may God protect you.”
Greetings may involve a handshake with the right hand only. Men and women generally will not shake hands unless the female outstretches her hand first and the man is willing to reciprocate the gesture. Iranian men commonly greet women by placing their hand over their heart and nodding/bowing gently.
The most commonly used informal greeting is: سلام. Salām! Salām “hi,” or “hello.” We use it when we meet someone or enter a room with people in it.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
Salam is a salutation meaning "hello" in Persian that can be used at any time of the day, anywhere and by anyone.
Baba "father, grandfather, wise old man, sir"; is an honorific term, of Persian origin, used in several West Asian and South Asian cultures.
'Taarof' (Politeness and Mutual Respect)
This is commonly done by making one's self appear secondary in comparison to the other person and insisting to put them first. For example, it is common to hear “You first, please” followed by “No, after you”.
Farsi is a Persian Language, but technically speaking, so are Dari and Tajik. Dari is the spoken language of Afghanistan, and Tajik is the spoken language of Tajikistan.
All over the world giving a thumbs up is a positive thing. It is considered as a means of expressing your liking towards something. However, if you give thumbs up in Iran means indecent and offensive insult which means “sit on it”. This is similar to raise your middle finger up.
Compliments in Iranian culture are an example of mutual respect, which includes special behaviours in the community. It is very common even among those who have no particular relationship with each other, such as a customer and a shopkeeper, two neighbours and persons who have no previous friendship.
Cheek kissing in Iran is relatively common between friends and family. Cheek kissing between individuals of the same sex is considered normal. However, cheek kissing between male and female in public is considered to be a punishable crime by the government, but it is known to occur among some young Iranians.
Khoshgelam. Literally, “my beautiful”, khoshgelam is a word you can say to your lady friend. Iranian moms also love calling their daughters khoshgelam . Variations on this are khoshgele (usually a man says this) or khoshgel khânum (something like “Miss beautiful”).
Other common terms of endearment include: azizam (عزیزم, my dear), asalam (عسلم, my honey), khoshgelam (خوشگلم, my beautiful), nafasam (نفسم, my breath), jigaram (جیگرم, my liver).
Âfiat bâsheh. Âfiat bâsheh means “bless you” and is used after someone sneezes (although I'm always surprised by how infrequently Iranians use this compared to Americans).
Iranians give gifts at various social occasions such as returning from a trip or if someone achieves a major success in their personal or business life. On birthdays, business people bring sweets and cakes to the office and do not expect to receive gifts.
Persian cats are incredibly affectionate felines, and they are not afraid to show it, especially to people they love and trust. You will know your Persian adores you if they: Purr a lot—Persians purr while you groom them or pet them, or even when they enjoy their food. That's how they show satisfaction.
Origin:Persian. Meaning:foreign woman. Bebe as a girl's name is of Latin, Farsi, and Persian origin, and the meaning of Bebe is "foreign woman". Bebe is a variant of the Latin names Barbara and Beatrice and the Farsi and Persian name Bibi.
Joon is often used after saying someone's name as a form of respect or affection- baba joon, for example, means father dear, or Sarah joon, is simply Sarah dear.
What is known as an 'inappropriate behavior of couples in public', including kissing, hugging, etc., is severely restricted in Iran. In fact, holding hands and giving hugs are a less restricted in public than kissing. Moreover, greeting people can be different in different cultures.
Hello, hi | Salam | سلام How are you? | Chetori? | چطوری ؟ Fine, thank you | Khubam, Mersi | خوبم ، مرسی
How are you? khoobam. خوبم. (e) I'm okay.