مَالْتَه
mālta
The Persian word for orange is مَالْتَه (mālta). Wiktionary also lists نارَنْج (nâranj) and پُرْتِقال (porteġâl).
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Persian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| مَالْتَه | mālta |
| نارَنْج | nâranj |
| پُرْتِقال | porteġâl |
| پُرْتُقال | portoġâl |
To describe the color orange, you must use the adjective form نارنجی.
Which one should you use?
The word نارنج specifically refers to the bitter orange, often used in a botanical or culinary context, rather than the sweet orange. The forms پُرْتِقال and پُرْتُقال are also used for the fruit.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Iran, especially the southern regions, the term برتقال is used instead of پُرْتِقال.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
mālta
Did you know?
- While مَالْتَه is a valid term for the fruit, it is actually the name of a specific island, Malta, adapted into Persian to refer to the citrus fruit.
- The word پُرْتِقال is a loanword from the Portuguese 'portugal', reflecting the era when Portuguese traders introduced the sweet orange to the region.
- In Persian, the word for the color orange نارنجی is built by adding a suffix to the word for the bitter orange نارنج, rather than the sweet orange.
Examples in context
- Aabeh porteghal mikhay? /آبِ پرتقال میخوای؟Would you like some orange juice?
- Baazaar, porteghal-haye laziz mifrooshad. /بازار، پرتقالهای لذیذ میفروشد.The market sells delicious oranges.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “orange” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
