Electronics

1. موبایل

   Mobāyl

   Mobile phone

   Usage

   The everyday word. The formal term is "telefon-e hamrāh" (تلفن همراه), literally "companion phone", which is what you see on forms and adverts

2. تبلت

   Tablet

   Tablet

   Usage

   The thing security asks you to take out of your bag. A medicine tablet is a different word, "ghorṣ" (قرص)

3. لپ‌تاپ

   Laptāp

   Laptop

   Usage

   The English loanword is what people use. If you plan to work in a café, pair it with "perīz dārīd?" — do you have a socket?

4. شارژر

   Shārzher

   Charger

   Usage

   For losing one, buying one or borrowing one. "Mītavānam shārzher gharz begīram?" asks to borrow a charger

5. کابل شارژ

   Kābel-e shārzh

   Charging cable

   Usage

   Say the connector type — USB-C or Lightning — as well. Phone shops and electronics streets stock them

6. پاوربانک

   Pāverbānk

   Power bank

   Usage

   The English works as is; also called "shārzher-e hamrāh". Lithium cells go in hand luggage, never the hold

7. مبدل برق

   Mobaddel-e barq

   Plug adapter

   Usage

   Literally "electricity converter". Iran uses the round two-pin European type C/F at 220V, so a Japanese or UK plug will not fit — bring one or buy it locally. In speech, also "ādāptor"

8. پریز

   Periz

   Power socket

   Usage

   From the French "prise". Show it when hunting for a socket. "Mītavānam az perīz estefāde konam?" asks permission to use one

9. چندراهی برق

   Chandrāhi-ye barq

   Power strip

   Usage

   Literally "electrical multi-way". Lets one adapter charge several devices, which is why it is worth packing. In speech people often say "seh-rāhī", three-way

10. باتری

    Bātri

    Battery

    Usage

    Covers both dry cells and a phone's internal battery. Say the size as AA or AAA in English and you will be understood

11. وای‌فای

    Vāyfāy

    Wi-Fi

    Usage

    "Vāy-fāy dārīd?" asks whether there is Wi-Fi. Iranian hotels and cafés generally have it, though speeds vary a great deal

12. رمز وای‌فای

    Ramz-e vāyfāy

    Wi-Fi password

    Usage

    Show it and staff will write it down. "Ramz-e vāy-fāy chīst?" asks for it. "Ramz" is the general word for a code, including your ATM PIN

13. سیم‌کارت

    Simkārt

    SIM card

    Usage

    Prepaid tourist SIMs are sold at the airport counter and in Irancell (ایرانسل) and Hamrah-e Aval (همراه اول) shops, and you need your passport. Foreign cards do not work in Iran, so a local SIM and cash are the basis of everything

14. کارت حافظه

    Kārt-e hāfeze

    Memory card

    Usage

    Literally "card of memory". Show it at an electronics shop when the camera fills up

15. هندزفری

    Handzfri

    Earphones

    Usage

    From the English "hands-free", but in Iran it means earphones generally, wired or not. Over-ear headphones are "hedfon" (هدفون)

16. اسپیکر

    Espiker

    Speaker

    Usage

    Point at it to ask for the volume down: "ṣedā rā kam konīd loṭfan"

17. دوربین

    Durbin

    Camera

    Usage

    Literally "far-seer", and the same word covers binoculars. "Mītavānam aks begīram?" asks if you may take a photo. Photographing government or military sites is forbidden — always check

18. چراغ‌قوه

    Cherāghqove

    Flashlight

    Usage

    Literally "power lamp" — needed at desert camps, for visiting the underground qanat channels and during power cuts

19. کولر گازی

    Kuler-e gāzi

    Air conditioner

    Usage

    Literally "gas cooler", meaning the ordinary refrigerant type. "Kūler kār nemīkonad" means the AC is not working. In the southern and central summer this is not a small matter — check before you book

20. کولر آبی

    Kuler-e ābi

    Evaporative cooler

    Usage

    Literally "water cooler" — it chills by evaporation, which suits Iran's dry air, and you will see the boxes on rooftops everywhere. Cheaper than refrigerant AC but ineffective on the humid southern coast. Asking a guesthouse which type it has tells you a lot about the room

21. کنترل

    Kontorol

    Remote control

    Usage

    Use it at reception when the TV or AC remote has vanished. The full term is "kontorol az rāh-e dūr", control from a distance

22. پنکه

    Panke

    Electric fan

    Usage

    For asking at a guesthouse without AC: "panke dārīd?"

23. یخچال

    Yakhchāl

    Refrigerator

    Usage

    Literally "ice pit" — and the same word names the ancient mud-brick icehouses of the desert. The conical structures still standing at Yazd and Kerman kept ice through the summer long before electricity

24. تلویزیون

    Televizyon

    Television

    Usage

    From the French "télévision"; in speech also "tī-vī"

25. مایکروویو

    Māykroviv

    Microwave oven

    Usage

    The English word works. "Mīshavad garmash konīd?" asks a shop to heat it up

26. کتری برقی

    Ketri-ye barqi

    Electric kettle

    Usage

    Literally "electric kettle". If your room lacks one, ask at reception — in a country that drinks tea all day, hot water is never a problem

27. سماور

    Samāvar

    Samovar

    Usage

    The Russian-derived urn that anchors tea in Iranian homes, tea houses and eateries: water boils below, a pot ("qūrī") of strong tea steeps on top, and you dilute to taste in the glass. Most are now electric, "samāvar-e barqī"

28. ماشین لباسشویی

    Māshin-e lebāsshuyi

    Washing machine

    Usage

    Literally "clothes-washing machine". Self-service laundrettes barely exist in Iran, so you either use the guesthouse machine or take things to a "khoshkshūyī", the dry cleaner

29. سشوار

    Seshvār

    Hair dryer

    Usage

    From the French "séchoir", drier. Often missing from the room, so ask reception whether one can be lent

Browse all TravelPhrases languages