شُمَال
šumāl
The English word "north" is translated into Persian as شُمَال (šumāl). Wiktionary also lists شُمال (šomâl) and اپاختر (apāxtar).
Meaning: compass point (noun)
Ways to say it
| Persian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| شُمَال | šumāl |
| شُمال | šomâl |
| اپاختر | apāxtar |
The primary way to express the compass point north is through the term شُمَال. When you need to describe something as being related to the north, you use the adjective form شمالی.
Which one should you use?
The forms شُمَال and شُمال are both used to mean north. Additionally, the term اپاختر is also provided as a way to express this direction.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the noun into the adjective meaning "northern", you add the suffix -i to the base noun, resulting in شمالی.
How do you pronounce it?
šumāl
Did you know?
- The word شمال is a loanword from Arabic, but in the original Arabic, the term was more closely linked to the 'left hand' and the direction of the wind.
- Because the north of Iran is heavily forested and humid, the word شمال is frequently used by locals to evoke a feeling of 'humidity' or 'lushness' rather than just a direction on a map.
- In classical Persian literature, the 'north' was often associated with the cold and the mystical lands of the Turanians, acting as a symbolic boundary of the known world.
Example sentences for Persian are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Reza and Maryam are looking at a map together.
- رضا Rezaمریم، شُمَال در کدام طرف است؟Maryam, shomāl dar kodām taraf ast?Maryam, which side is north?
- مریم Maryamرضا، این طرف شمال است.Reza, īn taraf shomāl ast.Reza, this side is north.
- رضا Rezaپس ما باید به آن طرف برویم.Pas mā bāyad be ān taraf beravīm.So we must go that way.
- مریم Maryamبله، درست است.Bale, dorost ast.Yes, that is correct.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “north” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
