عِلْم
ilm
The English word "science" can be translated into Persian as عِلْم (ilm), دَانِش or دانِش.
Meaning: collective discipline of learning acquired through the scientific method (noun)
Ways to say it
| Persian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| عِلْم | ilm |
| دَانِش | dāniš |
| دانِش | dâneš |
These terms all refer to the collective discipline of learning acquired through the scientific method. When you wish to refer to the various branches of science (the sciences), the plural form علوم is typically used. For example, علوم کامپیوتر is the term for computer science.
Which one should you use?
The choice between forms depends on the context. عِلْم is often used in academic, religious or philosophical contexts to denote science or deep knowledge. In contrast, دَانِش is a Persian-rooted term used in literature or formal contexts to mean knowledge or science.
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the noun عِلْم into the adjective "scientific", you add the suffix '-i' to create علمی.
How do you pronounce it?
ilm
Did you know?
- The term دَانِش shares a common Indo-European ancestor with the English word 'know'. This makes the Persian word for 'science/knowledge' a distant linguistic relative of the English 'know'.
- In traditional Persian poetry, دَانِش is often contrasted with 'intuition' or 'divine love', suggesting that scientific knowledge is a lower form of understanding than spiritual enlightenment.
- In modern Persian, you might see the word دانشگاه used for 'university'. It is literally a compound meaning 'place of knowledge', constructed from the root of دَانِش.
Examples in context
- حالا دارم درس های علوم کامپیوتر رو می خونم.I'm studying computer science now.
- عالیه! علوم کامپیوتر واقعا جذابه.That's great! Computer science is really fascinating.
Example conversation
Two students are discussing their favorite subjects at school.
- مریم Maryamعلی، درس مورد علاقه‌ات چیست؟Ali, darse morede alaghat chist?Ali, what is your favorite subject?
- علی Aliمن عاشق عِلْم هستم.Man asheghe elm hastam.I love science.
- مریم Maryamواقعاً؟ من هم همین‌طور.Vaghean? Man ham hamintor.Really? Me too.
- علی Aliبیا با هم مطالعه کنیم.Bia ba ham motale'e konim.Let's study together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “science” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
