Azizan

Bath and getting-ready words in Persian for kids (with pronunciation)

The bath and getting-ready words a Persian-speaking toddler hears every day are âb (water), sâbun (soap), hole (towel), mesvâk (toothbrush) and hammum (the bath), with short phrases like dasteto beshur (wash your hands) and mesvâk bezan (brush your teeth). In everyday Tehrani speech some of these change shape: the bath is written حمام (hammâm) but said حموم (hammum), and the comb is written شانه (shâne) but often said شونه (shune). These words stick because they come with the routine, so you can say them while the water is running and the toothbrush is in hand. Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app where relatives record themselves reading illustrated Persian children's stories; it has Persian stories only and no app-store listing, and this page is a short, free word list for parents and grandparents.

Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app for immigrant and diaspora families: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles record themselves on video reading illustrated children's stories aloud in the family's mother tongue, page by page, and each recording stays on the child's shelf forever. Real family voices — never AI narration. Persian (Farsi) first.

The bath and getting-ready words

Pronunciation is approximate and written for English speakers; capitals show the stressed part, and accents vary, so ask your relatives how they say them. The forms above are the everyday Tehrani ones; in careful or written Persian you will see حمام for the bath and شانه for the comb.

Three phrases a parent says

These are the relaxed spoken forms a parent actually uses at home. The careful written forms would be دستت را بشور، برویم حمام and مسواک بزن; for a toddler the spoken form is the natural one.

Spoken form vs the written form

Some of these words change in everyday Tehrani speech, and that is normal spoken Persian, not a mistake. A long â before m or n is often raised to u in relaxed speech, the same change that turns نان (nân, bread) into نون (nun):

• bath: written حمام (hammâm), spoken حموم (hammum).
• comb: written شانه (shâne), spoken شونه (shune).
• toothpaste: written as two words خمیر دندان, usually run together as خمیردندان.

Pick the spoken form for a young child and keep it the same each time, so the word becomes familiar.

Easy ways to practise

• Say it while you do it. At the sink say دستتو بشور (wash your hands), at the shelf say مسواک بزن (brush your teeth), by the tub say بریم حموم (let's have a bath). The routine teaches the word.
• Name the thing in your hand. Hold up the صابون, the حوله, the شونه and say the word once; do not turn it into a quiz.
• Keep it warm. Bath and bedtime are gentle moments, which is a good time for Persian to arrive with a smile rather than a test.

We have not found a study showing which method works best for heritage-language children, so treat these as ideas to try rather than a programme.

Routine words with a relative on video

Bath and getting-ready words are some of the first Persian a child hears from the people who love them. A grandparent can name the صابون or say مسواک بزن while reading an illustrated story, so the words arrive with a face and a voice the child knows. See how to record a story video for grandchildren, and more word lists for body parts, clothes and bedtime.

Related guides

• Body parts in Persian for kids
• Clothes in Persian for kids
• Bedtime words in Persian for kids

Questions

How do you say "bath" in Persian?

The written word is حمام (hammâm). In everyday Tehrani speech people say حموم (hammum). Going to the حموم usually means having a shower rather than a soak in a tub.

Why do some bath words sound different from how they are written?

Spoken Tehrani Persian often raises a long â before m or n to u: حمام (hammâm) becomes حموم (hammum) and شانه (shâne) becomes شونه (shune), the same change that turns نان (nân) into نون (nun). It is the same word, just the everyday spoken form. For a toddler, use the spoken one.

How do I tell my child to wash their hands or brush their teeth in Persian?

Wash your hands is دستتو بشور (dasteto beshur) and brush your teeth is مسواک بزن (mesvâk bezan). Both are the relaxed spoken forms a parent says at home.

What is the difference between دستشویی and توالت?

Both are used for the toilet. دستشویی (dastshuyi) literally means "hand-washing place" and is the common everyday word for the room; توالت (tovâlet) is also used for the room and for the fixture itself.

Do I need to read Persian to teach these words?

No. The pronunciation guide is enough to start, and a relative can say the words during a video call or in a recorded story.

Open Azizan — record a story for your child

Updated: 2026-11-03 · By Aida Fard

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