Arabic and Persian: 21 words that are the same
Among the two thousand words each language uses most, these are written identically and carry the same meaning in both. If you have one of the two, this is the part you do not have to learn.
A shared word is not proof of a shared root. Two languages can land on the same spelling by borrowing from a third — that is all tren and bomba are — and a word that looks the same can still be said quite differently. What this list is good for is the head start.
| Word | In English | Arabic | Persian |
|---|---|---|---|
| الآنar /al.ʔaː.na/fa [ʔæl.ʔɒːn] | now | #29 | #737 |
| واحدar /waː.ħid/fa [vɒː.ɦed̪̥] | one | #86 | #810 |
| وقتar /waqt/fa [væxt̪ʰ] | time | #91 | #71 |
| عامar /ʕaːm/fa [ʔɒːm] | year | #206 | #1,845 |
| داخلar /daː.xa.la/fa [d̪ɒː.xél̥] | inside | #276 | #210 |
| وجودar /wu.d͡ʒuːd/fa [vo.d͡ʒúːd̪̥] | existence | #300 | #125 |
| ضدar /dˤidd/fa [zed̪̥(ː)] | against | #313 | #883 |
| اسمar /ism/fa [ʔesm] | name | #321 | #147 |
| سؤالar /su.ʔaːl/fa [so.ʔɒ́ːl̥] | question | #418 | #1,179 |
| خاصar /xaːsˤsˤ/fa [xɒːs] | special | #530 | #852 |
| قلبar /qa.la.ba/fa [qælb̥] | heart | #619 | #439 |
| طولar /tˤuːl/fa [t̪ʰuːl̥] | length | #725 | #330 |
| آدمar /ʔaː.dam/fa [ʔɒː.d̪ǽm] | human | #889 | #104 |
| حسابar /ħi.saːb/fa [he.sɒ́ːb̥] | account | #945 | #354 |
| مقدارar /miq.daːr/fa [meʁ.d̪ɒ́ːɹ] | amount, quantity | #1,168 | #568 |
| مترar /mitr/fa [met̪ʰɹ] | metre | #1,573 | #1,224 |
| صفرar /sˤifr/fa [sæ.fǽɹ] | zero | #1,632 | #1,658 |
| مشهورar /maʃ.huːr/fa [mæʃ.húːɹ] | famous | #1,663 | #1,456 |
| حضورar /ħu.dˤuːr/fa [ho.zúːɹ] | presence | #1,770 | #966 |
| بشرar /baʃar/fa [bæ.ʃæɹ] | human | #1,862 | #1,631 |
| قبولar /qa.buːl/fa [qæ.búːl̥] | acceptance | #1,898 | #270 |
The speaker plays the voice the LangX app uses for that language — synthesised, not a native speaker, so treat it as a guide.
The overlap is the easy part.
The rest comes from using it with someone who speaks it.