ز (ze) is the 13th letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced z, as in “zoo”, as in زن (zan, woman).
How to write ز (ze)
Persian is written from right to left, and most letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. These are the four forms of ز:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| ز | ز | ـز | ـز |
ز is one of the seven Persian letters that never join the letter after it (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و), so the next letter starts a new group, as in روزنامه.
How to pronounce ز (ze)
Like English z in "zoo".
In standard Iranian Persian, ز sounds exactly like ذ and ض and ظ, so you learn the spelling of each word as you meet it.
Persian words with ز
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where ز is |
|---|---|---|---|
| زن | zan | woman | start |
| زبان | zabân | language | start |
| زمین | zamin | ground, earth | start |
| روزنامه | ruznâme | newspaper | middle |
| سبزی | sabzi | herbs, vegetables | middle |
| بازار | bâzâr | market | middle |
| سبز | sabz | green | end |
| میز | miz | table | end |
Good to know
- ز is the usual z letter and the only one used in most native Persian words; ذ ض ظ sound the same but appear mainly in Arabic loanwords.
- ز never joins the letter after it.
Quiz: the letter ز
Check yourself on ز (ze): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does ز (ze) make?
2. Which word starts with ز?
3. What does زبان (zabân) mean?
4. Does ز join the letter that comes after it?
5. Which letter is pronounced the same as ز?
6. Where is ز in the word روزنامه (ruznâme, newspaper)?
7. What is the position of ز in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- A. z: ز is pronounced z. Like English z in “zoo”.
- B. زن (zan): زن (zan) means “woman” and begins with ز.
- D. language: زبان (zabân) means “language”.
- D. No, it never joins the next letter: ز is one of the seven letters that never join the next letter: ا د ذ ر ز ژ و.
- D. ذ: ز and ذ sound the same (z) in standard Iranian Persian.
- A. In the middle: In روزنامه, ز comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- D. 13th: ز is the 13th letter: ا ب پ ت ث ج چ ح خ د ذ ر ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن و ه ی
Common questions
How do you pronounce ز in Persian?
ز (ze) is pronounced z. Like English z in “zoo”.
Does ز connect to the next letter?
No. ز is one of the seven letters that never join the letter after it (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و), so it has only two forms.
Which letters sound like ز?
In standard Iranian Persian ز is pronounced the same as ذ and ض and ظ.
The Farsi alphabet (Farsi: /alefbâye fârsi/ الفبای فارسی) consists 32 letters, most of which have two forms, short and full. In Farsi, words are written from right to left while numbers are written from left to right. Farsi is a writing style based on the Arabic script. It is entirely written cursively. That is, the majority of letters in a word connect to each other. Therefore, the appearance of a letter changes depending on its position: beginning (joined on the left), middle (joined on both sides), end (joined on the right) of a word and some letters are written isolated.
This writing style is also implemented on computers. Whenever the Farsi script is typed, the computer connects the letters to each other.
Following is a table showing the Farsi alphabet and how it is pronounced in English. There are also some examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| ح | چ | ج | ث | ت | پ | ب | الف |
| ش | س | ژ | ز | ر | ذ | د | خ |
| ق | ف | غ | ع | ظ | ط | ض | ص |
| ی | ه | و | ن | م | ل | گ | ک |
ز
“ز” /ze/ is the thirteenth letter of the Persian alphabet. It only has one form. “ز” only joins to the preceding letters in Persian words. It sounds /ze/ like “ze” in “zipper”.
How to write it:
Sample Words:
 |
 |
 |
| زَر | اَرز | بُز |
| Previous< | >Next |
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Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.