Iranians say bah bah when anything pleases the senses. When food smells or tastes good, you say bah bah! If you are enjoying a nice view, you say bah bah! When a guest arrives at your home and you open the door to welcome them, you say bah bah to show that you are happy to see them.
A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to habibi as a Farsi word. The word is in fact Arabic. Jamalifard says it is commonly used in Iran.
Jigar tala (جیگر طلا)
Now this Persian expression is a truly unique way to address a loved one – it literally means “golden liver”! It conveys how vital you think they are to your existence.
Azizam. Azizam literally means “my dear” and is a general term of endearment that you can use with anyone- friend, family, lover, old, young. You'll even hear women who are total strangers call each other azizam .
Nooshe jân!
Though you're more likely to hear this phrase, it's a good one to know because it's so common. It's used by the cook both before a meal, like bon appétit, and after to express delight that you enjoyed the dish.
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.
Koh (eastern sound of Persian) or Kuh (western sound) (Persian: کوه) or serval words with sound change, mean in all indo-Iranian linguages mountain or refer to mountains.
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.
When someone sneezes, Iranians say sabr âmad (patience came) and then, to prevent bad luck, wait a bit before resuming their actions. Even those who don't consider themselves superstitious tend to follow this one.
One of the most common Arabic words used, yallah means “let's go” or “come on” and is frequently used by all nationalities in the Middle East to mean that you want something to happen or want things to keep moving along. Quite simply, this means “thank you”.
Yalla, yes, used in Farsi, as in to say "hurry".
"Yalla" is a colloquial Arabic expression that can be translated to "let's go" or "come on" in English. It is often used.
Baba "father, grandfather, wise old man, sir"; is an honorific term, of Persian origin, used in several West Asian and South Asian cultures.
Noun. عزیز • ('aziz) (plural عزیزان ('azizân)) dear one, darling. friend.
Joon (or jân, as it's often pronounced), means “soul/spirit/life”, but it's essentially a Persian word of endearment used after a person's first name to mean “dear”. It's a little nicer than just calling someone by their name alone.
There's no translation for bah bah as it's more of an auditory compliment. Iranians say bah bah when anything pleases the senses. When food smells or tastes good, you say bah bah!
A parting expression that we can use any time of the day to strangers or friends is Khoda hafez, which literally means “May God protect you.” You can think of it as a Persian version of “Goodbye” or “bye bye.”
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.
Dating and Marriage
The government does not approve of casual dating or premarital sex and enforces the separation of the genders. Therefore, if Iranians go out with their girlfriend or boyfriend in public, they run the risk of being berated, reported on or even detained.