Affiliate Disclaimer: Lingalot is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate this site earns from qualifying purchases. We may also use affiliate links for other programmes. (See full affiliate disclosure.)

Why Does Farsi Have French Words?

If you’re wondering ‘why does Farsi have French words’ then you’re in the right place.

It’s clear that Farsi has some French influence…but why?

Let’s take a look…

Why Does Persian Have So Many French Words?

If you’ve ever tried learning Farsi then you may have noticed that there are lots of French words used in everyday conversations.

In a standard Persian dictionary there are actually over 1,000 French loanwords!

And here’s why…

Farsi has French words because there has been a long historical relationship between France and Iran which has led to the incorporation of lots of French loanwords.

Here’s a few examples:

FarsiTransliterationFrenchEnglish
اتوبوسotobusautobusbus
بالکنbalkonbalconbalcony
کورسkurscourserace
دوشdushdoucheshower
مدmodmodefashion
پاراوانparavanparaventscreen

Many of the French loanwords relate to science and technology.

Additionally, most of the country names in Farsi are based on the French.

Where Did These Loanwords Come From?

Beginning in the 19th century and continuing through the 20th century, French loanwords gradually entered into the Farsi language as Iran tried to modernize.

This was mainly during the Qajar Dynasty and continued into the Pahlavi Dynasty.

At this time, French was the second most common language in Iran as it was the global language, just like English is now.

French was the international language of the world and used heavily in diplomacy and higher education.

In the 20th century, Iran modeled its education system on France’s in both organization and curriculum.

Their textbooks were even based on translations from French and French was the only language that high school students took for 6 years, until it was replaced by English after World War 2.

Many Iranian students, mainly those from wealthy families, would travel to France to study at France’s many top universities. 

In fact, most academics at the University of Tehran had studied in a French-speaking country.

As students who had studied in France returned to Iran to teach Iranians what they had learnt, they brought French words for various new ideas and modern technologies with them.

There was no equivalent word in Farsi for many of these new technologies so they just used the French word.

Additionally, as only richer people could afford to go to France for studies, people that had studied abroad often used French words back in Iran to reflect that they were well educated.

Why Do They Say Merci in Iran?

Due to France’s influence on Iran, the French word ‘merci’, which means ‘thank you’, was also introduced into the Farsi language.

Most of the French loanwords used in Farsi are for new concepts and new technologies as, at the time, Farsi had no word for them because they were new so they just used the French.

That doesn’t explain why they say ‘merci’ in Iran though as surely Farsi had its own word for thank you?

You’re right! They did…

There are Farsi alternatives for ‘thank you’ that some Iranian people prefer to use including ‘moteshakeram’ and ‘mamnoon’ however these are much more formal.

‘Merci’ is the most common way to casually say thank you in Iran.

Find out all of the different ways to say thank you in Farsi.

Back in the 19th and 20th centuries, when educated Iranians returned to Iran after having studied abroad in France, it became fashionable for them to use French words in their conversations including ‘merci’.

This was a way to show that they were well-educated and had studied abroad as only the most well off people could afford to study in France.

Over time, ‘merci’ got more and more popular and still today most Iranians use ‘merci’ to say thank you in Farsi.

Interested in learning Farsi. Here’s how to start…

Was Iran a French Colony?

No, Iran was never a French colony.

As there are many French loanwords used in Farsi, many people jump to the conclusion that Iran must have been a French colony.

This is definitely untrue.

Iran has been a part of several empires over the years including, most famously, the Persian Empire.

Farsi just has a lot of French words due to the huge French influence which occurred during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Back then it was super common for Iranians to speak French, especially royals and nobility.

The last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, attended a French-speaking school in Switzerland and even wrote his memoir in French rather than Farsi.


Thanks for reading this post on why Farsi has so many French words.

Hopefully you now understand the origins of these French loanwords and why Iranians say ‘merci’.

Related Posts: