Persian Gestures: Iranian Body Language and What It Means

The best-known Persian gestures are an upward toss of the head with raised eyebrows and a click of the tongue, which means “no” (the sound is written نچ, nach), and a right hand placed on the chest, which shows thanks, respect or a polite refusal. Also note: a thumbs-up has traditionally been a rude gesture in Iran, so visitors should avoid it.

Iranians talk with their faces and hands as much as with words, and many gestures go hand in hand with a fixed Persian phrase. Knowing them helps you understand what people mean, avoid an accidental insult, and sound (and look) more natural when you speak. Below you will find each gesture described step by step, the Persian words that go with it, and notes on who uses it and when. Keep in mind that Iran is a big, varied country: city and village, young and old, religious and secular families do not all behave the same way, so treat these as common patterns, not strict rules.

Persian gestures at a glance

Yes and no without words

“No”: the head toss and the tongue click (nach)

This is the gesture that confuses newcomers most. To say “no,” many Iranians tip the head slightly up and back and raise the eyebrows, often with a short click of the tongue against the teeth or the roof of the mouth. Sometimes only the eyebrows go up. The click on its own is so common that it has a spoken spelling: نچ (nach) Listen. You will hear it as an answer in shops and at home: “Is there any bread left?” “Nach.”

Because the head moves up, a Westerner can mistake it for a nod or for “What?” If someone tips the head back and clicks after your question, the answer is almost certainly no. The side-to-side head shake is also understood in Iran, so you do not have to copy the head toss yourself. Keep nach for friends and family; with strangers, elders or in formal settings, say نه (na) or نه، مرسی (na, mersi, “no, thanks”). For the spoken and formal words for yes and no, see our guide to yes and no in Persian.

“Yes”: a small nod down

“Yes” is a small, single downward nod, sometimes with the eyes briefly closed. It usually comes with آره (âre, spoken) or بله (bale, polite). The Persian verb for nodding is سر تکان دادن (sar tekân dâdan, “to move the head”).

Respect and hospitality gestures

Hand on the heart

Placing the right hand flat on the chest is one of the most useful Persian gestures to know. It says “I mean it” and “with respect.” People do it when they greet someone, when they say thank you, when they say goodbye, and when they politely refuse something (“no, thank you, really”). Often the head bows slightly at the same time.

It also replaces a handshake. Many religious Iranians do not shake hands with someone of the opposite sex, and a hand on the heart with a small nod is the warm, respectful alternative. If someone greets you this way, return the same gesture; it is not a rejection. Common words to say with it are مرسی (mersi, “thanks”) and the affectionate spoken قربونت برم (ghorbunet beram, literally “may I be sacrificed for you,” used like “you’re a dear”) Listen. More thanks phrases are in thank you in Persian.

The eye: chashm, “gladly”

When an Iranian is asked to do something, the polite reply is چشم (chashm) Listen, literally “eye,” meaning “certainly, I’ll do it.” A warmer version is به روی چشم (be ru-ye chashm, “on my eye”) Listen, meaning “with pleasure.” Some people add a small gesture: they lightly touch the eye or the brow with the fingertips, or place a hand near one eye. The word is far more common than the gesture, so you can simply say chashm. Children say it to parents, employees to managers, and friends to each other when they agree to a favor.

“Please, go ahead”: the open palm and befarmâyid

To invite someone to sit, eat, enter or go first, Iranians hold out an open hand, palm up, toward the seat, the food or the door, and say بفرمایید (befarmâyid) Listen. With a friend, the shorter بفرما (befarmâ) is used. The open palm is also the polite way to indicate a person, instead of pointing a finger at them.

At a doorway you will often see the famous taarof standoff: two people each gesture with the open hand and insist the other go first, saying اول شما (avval shomâ, “you first”) Listen. Usually the younger person, the host, or the one with less status gives in after one or two rounds and lets the other pass. Our full guide to taarof and Persian politeness explains the whole system of polite offers and refusals.

Sorry, my back is to you

Turning your back to someone, even for a moment, is felt as slightly rude. So when you have to turn away, for example in a car or at a crowded table, you say ببخشید، پشتم به شماست (bebakhshid, poshtam be shomâst, “excuse me, my back is to you”) Listen. The classic reply is گل پشت و رو نداره (gol posht-o ru nadâre, “a flower has no front or back”) Listen. It is a lovely exchange to learn, and Iranians are delighted when a learner uses it. See also sorry in Persian for more apologies.

Standing up, eyes and seating

• Standing up when an elder or guest enters the room is a common sign of respect, and it is polite to stay standing until they sit.
• Eye contact is normal between friends and equals. Lowering your eyes a little with an elder, or in traditional settings between men and women who are not family, signals modesty and respect, not dishonesty or lack of interest.
• Seats are offered to older people on buses and in waiting rooms, often with the open-palm gesture and befarmâyid.

Greeting gestures: handshakes and cheek kisses

Handshakes

Men usually shake hands with other men when they meet and part, often holding the handshake a little longer than Americans do, sometimes with the left hand on the chest or on the other person’s arm. Between men and women, practice varies a lot. Many Iranians, especially in religious or traditional families, do not shake hands with the opposite sex at all, while many others in cities do. The safe rule: wait for the other person to offer a hand. If they do not, use the hand on the heart. The Persian for “to shake hands” is دست دادن (dast dâdan, literally “to give a hand”). For the words that go with greetings, see hello in Persian.

Cheek kisses (rubusi)

Close friends and relatives of the same gender often greet with kisses on alternating cheeks, called روبوسی (rubusi) Listen. Two or three kisses are usual, and three is very common in Iran. Men kiss men and women kiss women; this is ordinary friendship, with no romantic meaning. Between men and women, cheek kisses are normally limited to close family. Do not start a rubusi yourself with someone you have just met; let the Iranian lead.

In some traditional families, younger people kiss the hand of a grandparent as a sign of deep respect, and older relatives often kiss a child or grandchild on the forehead.

Gestures to avoid in Iran

The thumbs-up

Traditionally, a thumbs-up pushed toward someone has been an obscene, insulting gesture in Iran, roughly like the middle finger in the US. Today many Iranians, especially younger people in cities and anyone who watches foreign media, know the Western “OK, good” meaning, and its meaning is clearly shifting. But older people, or people in smaller towns, may still read it the old way. As a visitor, simply do not use it. Say عالی (âli, “excellent”) or آفرین (âfarin, “well done”), or nod and smile.

Beckoning with the palm up

Curling one finger toward yourself with the palm up, the American “come here,” feels bossy or rude to many Iranians. Beckon with the palm facing down and all the fingers making a scooping motion toward you, and add بیا اینجا (biyâ injâ, “come here”) Listen with a friend, or بفرمایید اینجا (befarmâyid injâ, “please, here”) with anyone you address politely.

Pointing at people and showing the soles of your feet

Pointing your index finger at a person is impolite; use the open hand instead. When you sit, especially on the floor, try not to point the soles of your feet at someone, and never put your feet up on a table. Iranians take their shoes off at the door of a home, so wear clean socks.

Public affection

Holding hands, hugging and kissing between men and women in public are restricted in Iran, and behavior in public is generally more reserved than at home. Same-gender friends walking arm in arm or greeting with cheek kisses, on the other hand, is completely normal.

Emotions: surprise, shock, annoyance and joy

Biting the lip: “don’t” and “shame”

Biting the lower lip with the upper teeth, often with wide eyes, is a silent warning: “stop that,” “don’t say that,” or “how embarrassing.” Iranian children know it well, because it is the look a parent gives across the room when they misbehave in front of guests. It can also show shock at something improper. Persian even has a word for it: لب گزیدن (lab gazidan, “to bite the lip”), common in classical poetry for exactly this warning look.

A related image is the finger in the mouth for amazement. The idiom انگشت به دهان ماندن (angosht be dahân mândan, “to be left with a finger in the mouth”) means to be astonished.

Slapping the cheeks: “oh no”

To show shock or dismay, some people, mostly women and often of an older generation, lightly slap one or both cheeks with the palms and say وای (vây, “oh”) or خاک به سرم (khâk be saram, literally “dust on my head,” meaning “oh no, how awful”) Listen. It is informal and can be half-joking, for example when someone forgot to buy bread. Slapping your own forehead, as in English, means “how could I forget.”

“I’ve had it up to here”

Holding a flat hand under the chin or against the throat means “I’ve had enough.” The phrase that goes with it is the spoken تا اینجام رسیده (tâ injâm reside, “it’s come up to here”) Listen, used about a job, noise, a person or a situation.

“Shh”: hiss

A finger held to the lips means “quiet,” and the sound Iranians make with it is هیس (hiss) Listen, close to English “shh.”

Knocking on wood against the evil eye

After a compliment or a piece of good news, many Iranians knock on something wooden and say بزنم به تخته (bezanam be takhte, “let me knock on wood”) Listen, to keep away چشم زخم (chashm zakhm, the evil eye). If no wood is nearby, people tap a table or even their own head as a joke. It goes naturally with the praise you will learn in Persian compliments.

Snapping and clapping: joy

At parties and weddings, Iranians dance with a rhythmic finger snap called بشکن (beshkan) Listen; “to snap your fingers” is بشکن زدن (beshkan zadan). A loud, crisp beshkan is a small point of pride, and many Iranians can snap with both hands in rhythm. Guests also clap along, دست زدن (dast zadan, “to clap”). You will see plenty of both in a Persian wedding.

Persian words for gestures and body language

For the words for the body parts these gestures use (hand, head, eye, lip), see body parts in Persian.

How to use Persian gestures as a learner

• Recognize first, copy later. Understanding the head toss, the lip bite and the hand on the heart will help you right away. Copy only the gestures that are clearly safe for you: the hand on the heart, the open palm with befarmâyid, and the palm-down beckon.
• Learn gestures together with their phrases. Chashm, befarmâyid and bezanam be takhte are words first and gestures second. Practicing them in short dialogues, as in our first Persian conversation lesson, makes them automatic.
• Follow the other person’s lead on handshakes, cheek kisses and how close to stand.
• Match the setting. Nach, khâk be saram and tâ injâm reside are informal; keep them for friends. Our post on Persian slang has more everyday spoken Persian.

If you want many more of the short phrases that go with these gestures, set in real dialogues, Farsi Conversations collects the words and phrases Iranians use every day.

Want to test the words behind these gestures? Try the Persian greetings quiz next.

Common questions

Is a thumbs-up rude in Iran?

Traditionally, yes. A thumbs-up has long been an obscene gesture in Iran, similar to the middle finger in the US. Many younger, urban Iranians now know the Western “good” meaning, but older people may not, so visitors should avoid it and say عالی (âli) or آفرین (âfarin) instead.

How do Iranians say no with their head?

They tip the head slightly up and back and raise the eyebrows, often with a click of the tongue, spelled نچ (nach). Sometimes only the eyebrows rise. The side-to-side shake is understood too.

What does tsk mean in Persian?

A single tongue click, نچ (nach), usually means “no.” It is informal, so use نه (na) or نه، مرسی (na, mersi) with people you do not know well.

Why do Iranians put their hand on their heart?

It shows sincerity and respect. People do it when greeting, thanking, saying goodbye or politely refusing, and it often replaces a handshake between men and women.

Do Iranians kiss on the cheek when they greet?

Yes, between close friends and relatives of the same gender, and within close family. Two or three kisses are usual, and three is very common. Between men and women who are not family, a verbal greeting and a hand on the heart are the norm.

Can a man shake hands with a woman in Iran?

It depends on the person. Many Iranians, especially religious ones, do not shake hands with the opposite sex, while many others do. Wait for the woman to offer her hand first; if she does not, put your hand on your heart and nod.

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