زن
zan/ˈzan/
The Persian word for "woman" is زن (zan).
The term زن is used to refer to an adult female person.
Meaning: adult female person (noun)
Which one should you use?
While زن is the standard term for "woman", the word خانم (khānom) is a more polite or formal way to address or refer to a woman, similar to the English "lady" or "Ms."
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of زن is زنان (zanān).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is zan and the IPA is /ˈzan/.
Did you know?
- The word زن is also a cognate of the Greek word γυναίκα (gynaíka), which is the root of the English medical term 'gynecology'.
- In poetic or classical Persian literature, you may see the word بانو used instead of زن to evoke a sense of nobility or grace.
- The plural زنان is often reserved for written, formal, or literary contexts, whereas everyday speech often uses the plural marker ها to create زنها.
Examples in context
- او یک زن است.She is a woman.Tatoeba #11114158 by sinakd, translation #3127510 by PERCE_NEIGE
- من یک زن هستم.I am a woman.Tatoeba #11114146 by sinakd, translation #740214 by CC
- تو یک زن هستی.You are a woman.Tatoeba #11114154 by sinakd, translation #1228743 by CM
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maryam and Mohammad are talking about a person they saw at the park.
- مریم Maryamآن زن چه کتابی میخواند؟An zan che ketabi mikhanad?What book is that woman reading?
- محمد Mohammadنمیدانم، اما به نظر میرسد جالب است.Nemidanam, ama be nazar miresad jaleb ast.I don't know, but it looks interesting.
- مریم Maryamاو یک زن بسیار خوشاستایل است.Ou yek zan besyar khosh-estayl ast.She is a very stylish woman.
- محمد Mohammadبله، حق با تو است.Bale, hagh ba to ast.Yes, you are right.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry زن, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries زن, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
