پایتخت
“پایتخت” (pâyotakt) — capital city in Persian. Noun, level A2, topic — the city and its places. Literally "the throne-seat": the capital is the city where the throne stands. The throne-set word is recognized at once — and the logic is the same as at home. It is Tehran, says the example. In a live sentence: “پایتخت ایران تهران است.” — The capital of Iran is Tehran. Written with the characters پ, ا, ی, ت, خ, ت.
In short
| Written in Persian | پایتخت |
| Read in Latin letters | pâyotakt |
| Translation | capital city |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A2 |
Why it looks that way
Literally "the throne-seat": the capital is the city where the throne stands. The throne-set word is recognized at once — and the logic is the same as at home. It is Tehran, says the example
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- پایتخت ایران تهران است.pâyotakt-e Irân Tehrân ast.The capital of Iran is Tehran.
Nearby words: the city and its places
Street, square, pharmacy, bank. An address is built out of these, and an address is something you have to both say and understand.
- شهرshahrcityThe city as a whole, from a hamlet to the capital. Shahr-e qadimi — the old city — is a phrase of guidebooks
- خیابانkhiyabânstreetThe big street with traffic and shopfronts. The small twisty one is kucheh — learn both and the map opens
- میدانmeydânsquareThe open square a city pivots on — and the roundabout where streets meet. Meydan-e azadi is the gate of the capital
- داروخانهdârukhânepharmacyLiterally "house of drugs": daroo medicine + khane house. Marked by a green cross
- بانکbânkbankThe same word as in every currency of the world. State banks keep the queues; sarafi keeps the exchange rates
- شلوغیshâlugicrowdSholugh is busy, crowded; the -i makes the bustle a noun. Dar bazaar sholooghi ziad ast: the bazaar is packed
- چراغ راهنماcherâge rahnâmâtraffic lightLiterally "light-pointer": the lamp word you turned on in the technology topic. The red one is your color word. The light is red, says the example
- دوچرخهdâchârkhebicycleLiterally "two wheels": the two you know from counting. To work one rides it with the same "I go to work" as on foot. So, says the example
- ایستگاه اتوبوسiystgâe âtâbusbus stopThe station word from the first lessons: a stop and a station are one word here, the second one tells which. The rail one adds its word. Where is it? says the example
- بلیط ماهانهbâlite mâhânemonthly passThe ticket word in general — it traveled from Europe with the tickets themselves. The monthly adds the month. I am buying a pass, says the example
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “the city and its places”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “capital city” in Persian?
Literally "the throne-seat": the capital is the city where the throne stands. The throne-set word is recognized at once — and the logic is the same as at home. It is Tehran, says the example
- How do you say “traffic light” in Persian?
Literally "light-pointer": the lamp word you turned on in the technology topic. The red one is your color word. The light is red, says the example
- How do you say “square” in Persian?
The open square a city pivots on — and the roundabout where streets meet. Meydan-e azadi is the gate of the capital
- How do you say “monthly pass” in Persian?
The ticket word in general — it traveled from Europe with the tickets themselves. The monthly adds the month. I am buying a pass, says the example
- How do you say “crowd” in Persian?
Sholugh is busy, crowded; the -i makes the bustle a noun. Dar bazaar sholooghi ziad ast: the bazaar is packed
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “capital city” in Persian?
«پایتخت», read “pâyotakt”. In a live sentence: “پایتخت ایران تهران است.” — The capital of Iran is Tehran. Noun, level A2, from the set “the city and its places”; written with the characters پ, ا, ی, ت, خ, ت.
How is “پایتخت” written in Latin letters?
pâyotakt. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Literally "the throne-seat": the capital is the city where the throne stands. The throne-set word is recognized at once — and the logic is the same as at home. It is Tehran, says the example. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.