چَوْکِی
čawkī
The English word for chair is چَوْکِی (čawkī) in Persian. Wiktionary also lists کُرْسِی (kursī) and صَنْدَلِی (sandalī).
Meaning: furniture (noun)
Ways to say it
| Persian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| چَوْکِی | čawkī |
| کُرْسِی | kursī |
| صَنْدَلِی | sandalī |
| صَنْدَلی | sandali |
| کُرْسی | korsi |
The term refers to the piece of furniture used for sitting. صندلی is the most frequently used word in everyday spoken and written Persian.
Which one should you use?
صندلی is considered the most common word for a chair in daily life. کُرْسِی, which is borrowed from Arabic, is often used interchangeably with صندلی in casual contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of صندلی, you add the suffix -hā to create صندلی‌ها. When using the word in a descriptive phrase, such as 'wooden chair', you use the form صندلی چوبی (sandali-ye čubi).
How do you pronounce it?
čawkī
Did you know?
- When someone 'loses their صندلی' in a political context, it means they have been ousted from power. This is a common idiom for losing an official appointment or government post.
- While کُرْسِی is borrowed from Arabic, in Persian it evolved to describe an academic 'chair' or professor's position. This mirrors the English academic use of 'chair' but applies it to a different linguistic root.
- In some traditional contexts, چَوْکِی specifically refers to a low stool or a small platform, rather than a standard chair with a backrest.
Examples in context
- می‌توانم روی صندلی بنشینم؟May I sit on the chair?
- لطفاً یک صندلی برای من بیاورید.Please bring me a chair.
- بیا و روی کرسی بنشین.Come and sit on the chair.
- باشه، رو کرسی نشین.Okay, sit on the chair.
Example conversation
Ali and Sara are organizing a room.
- علی Aliسارا، این چَوْکِی کجاست؟Sara, in chouki kojast?Sara, where is this chair?
- سارا Saraعلی، آن را در آشپزخانه گذاشتم.Ali, an ra dar ashpazkhane gozashtam.Ali, I put it in the kitchen.
- علی Aliمی‌شود آن را به اینجا بیاوری؟Mishavad an ra be inja biavari?Can you bring it here?
- سارا Saraبله، الان می‌آورم.Bale, alan miavaram.Yes, I will bring it now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chair” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
