Azizan
Vehicles in Persian: 10 words for kids
Car is mashin, bus is otobus, train is ghatar, plane is havapeyma and bicycle is docharkheh. Vehicles are a favourite topic for small children, so they are an easy place to start a few Persian words. Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app where relatives record themselves reading Persian children's stories; this page is a short 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.
Ten vehicle words
| English | Persian | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Car | ماشین | mashin |
| Bus | اتوبوس | otobus |
| Train | قطار | ghatar |
| Plane | هواپیما | havapeyma |
| Bicycle | دوچرخه | docharkheh |
| Ship | کشتی | keshti |
| Small boat | قایق | ghayegh |
| Truck | کامیون | kamiyun |
| Taxi | تاکسی | taksi |
| Motorbike | موتور | motor |
Pronunciation is approximate and written for English speakers; accents vary, so ask your relatives how they say them.
Two things worth knowing
- Mashin is the everyday word for a car, and many families also use it for "machine" in general.
- Several of these words, such as otobus, taksi and kamiyun, will sound familiar because they came into Persian from other languages.
Easy ways to practise
- On the road: name what you pass, "mashin, otobus, kamiyun", and let the child repeat.
- Toy game: line up toy vehicles and ask the child to hand you the ghatar.
- Video call: a grandparent asks which vehicle the child saw today.
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.
Vehicles and family stories
On Azizan, relatives record themselves reading Persian stories page by page, so the child hears familiar voices. See how to record a story video for grandchildren.
Related guides
- Feelings in Persian for kids
- Animals in Persian for kids
- Colors in Persian for kids
- Seasons and nature in Persian
Questions
How do you say car in Persian?
Car is ماشین (mashin).
How do you say train in Persian?
Train is قطار (ghatar).
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 on video.
Open Azizan — record a story for your childUpdated: 2026-11-03 · By Aida Fard
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