Persian Texting Slang: How Iranians Text (Abbreviations, Chat Phrases and Etiquette)

Iranians text mostly in Persian script, in spoken Persian, with a handful of shortcuts: مرسی (mersi) for thanks, خخخ for a laugh, باش (bâsh) for “OK.” In Finglish, Persian typed in English letters, you will see slm for سلام (salâm, hi) and mrc for mersi. Voice messages are everywhere too.

Below you will find the abbreviations, chat phrases and app words Iranians actually use, how to read a casual Persian message, how to text politely, and practice at the end. Everything here is clean, everyday language you can use with friends, classmates and family.

How Iranians text: the short version

If you open a group chat of young people in Tehran, here is what you will usually see:

• Persian script, not Finglish. Inside Iran, almost every phone has a Persian keyboard, so most people type in the Persian alphabet. Finglish is more common among Iranians abroad, second-generation speakers and people who mostly type in English.
• Spoken Persian, not the written standard. People type the way they talk: می‌خوام (mikhâm, I want) instead of می‌خواهم (mikhâham), نمی‌دونم (nemidunam, I don’t know) instead of نمی‌دانم (nemidânam).
• Short words and dropped letters. باشه (bâshe, OK) becomes باش, and the little word که (ke, that) is often typed as just ک.
• Lots of voice messages. Many Iranians would rather hold the microphone button than type a long text.
• Warmth in every line. Even quick messages carry جان (jân, dear) after names, عزیزم (azizam, my dear) and قربونت (ghorbunet, thanks, dear).

Since texting follows the spoken language, it helps to know the main sound changes. Our guide to spoken vs written Persian covers 36 of them.

Finglish vs Persian script in texts

Finglish (also called Pinglish) is Persian written in Latin letters: “salam, chetori?” for سلام، چطوری؟ (salâm, chetori?, hi, how are you?). It spread when phones and computers could not show the Persian alphabet well. Today it survives in a few places: chats with relatives abroad, usernames and hashtags, quick messages from people whose phone is set to English, and texts from heritage speakers who speak Persian but never learned to read it.

Which should you use? A simple rule:

• If the other person writes in Persian script, answer in Persian script. It is also the best reading practice you can get.
• If they write in Finglish, Finglish is fine. Many Iranians abroad prefer it.
• For anything formal (a teacher, a landlord, an office), use Persian script.

Finglish spelling is not fixed, so the same word can be written several ways (khoobi, khubi, xubi). Our full guide to Finglish and how to read it explains the patterns, and the Finglish to Persian converter turns a Latin-letter message into Persian script.

Do Iranians use numbers as letters?

Not much. Arabic speakers who chat in Latin letters often use digits for sounds English lacks, such as 3 for ع and 7 for ح. Persian Finglish rarely does this. For the sounds English does not have, Iranians use letter pairs instead: kh for خ and gh for غ and ق, and sometimes x for خ and q for ق. So if you see a word full of digits, the writer is more likely an Arabic speaker than an Iranian.

Finglish abbreviations: slm, mrc and friends

When Iranians text in Latin letters, they often drop the vowels, the way English speakers write “thx” or “pls.” These are the shortcuts you are most likely to meet. Spellings vary from person to person, so read them by sound.

Two quick notes. “kh” on its own can be short for خب (khob), but a row of them, like “khkhkh,” is a laugh (see below).

Shortcuts in Persian script

Most texting happens in Persian script, and it has its own shortcuts. You will not find these in a textbook, but you will see them in every group chat.

You will also notice that many people skip the half-space (zero-width non-joiner) in chats and type میخوام or می خوام instead of می‌خوام. Everyone understands it, but in your own writing, especially formal writing, the half-space is correct. Our Persian keyboard guide shows how to type it.

How Iranians laugh in text

English has “haha” and “lol.” Persian has خخخ, a row of the letter خ (khe), the first sound of خنده (khande, laughter). It works like “hahaha”: two or three for a polite chuckle, a long row for something really funny. In Finglish the same laugh appears as “khkhkh.”

You will also see هههه (like “hehehe”) and plain emoticons. A very Iranian habit is stacking parentheses after a smiley, as in :)) or :))), where each extra bracket means a bigger smile or laugh. Emoji are used as much as anywhere else; laughing faces, hearts and flowers show up constantly, and many older relatives like to send flowers and good-morning pictures to the family group.

36 everyday chat phrases

These are the lines that fill Iranian chats every day. All of them are spoken, informal Persian (the تو form), which is right for friends, siblings and classmates. Formal versions come in the next section.

Opening and checking in

Listen سلام، خوبی؟   Listen چه خبر؟   Listen سلامتی

Quick replies

Listen باشه   Listen حله   Listen قربونت   Listen فدات

Making plans

Listen تو راهم   Listen رسیدی خبر بده   Listen بعدا زنگ می‌زنم

Feelings and goodbyes

Listen دلم برات تنگ شده   Listen مواظب خودت باش   Listen فعلا

One custom is worth knowing: when a friend or relative travels, even across town at night, Iranians expect a رسیدم (residam, I’ve arrived) message. If you forget, expect a worried رسیدی؟ (residi?, did you get there?). For more greetings and sign-offs, see hello in Persian; for more casual vocabulary, see our list of everyday Persian slang.

App and social media words

Iranian chat vocabulary borrows heavily from English, usually with a Persian verb attached. Learn the verbs کردن (kardan, to do), دادن (dâdan, to give) and فرستادن (ferestâdan, to send) and you can use almost any of these.

Listen بیا پی‌وی   Listen سین کرد، جواب نداد

Iranians use the same big messaging and social apps as the rest of the world, plus some domestic ones. Some foreign apps are filtered inside Iran, and which ones are blocked has changed over the years, so you will hear people talk about using a VPN (فیلترشکن, filtershekan, literally “filter breaker”). If you have Iranian friends, just ask which app they prefer.

Voice messages: why Iranians love them

Voice messages are a huge part of Iranian texting, from family groups to work chats. They are quicker than typing a long message, they carry tone and warmth, and they suit a culture that values a friendly voice. Expect relatives to send you long voice messages and to be happy if you answer the same way.

For a learner, this is a gift. Voice messages are real spoken Persian at natural speed, and you can replay them as many times as you like. Try this routine: listen once for the gist, then again line by line, and write down every phrase you catch. Then reply with your own short voice message. If you need help with speaking practice, our tips on using social media to improve your Persian show how to turn your feeds into lessons.

How to text politely in Persian

Everything above is casual. When you text a teacher, a colleague, an older relative or someone you do not know well, switch to the polite شما (shomâ) form and slightly fuller sentences. Iranians notice the difference immediately, and a polite message is part of taarof, Persian politeness.

Listen سلام، وقتتون بخیر   Listen ببخشید مزاحم شدم   Listen چشم

A few more habits that keep you on the right side of etiquette:

• Greet first. Starting a message to someone you don’t know well with a bare question feels abrupt. Open with سلام and a good wish.
• No shortcuts in formal messages. Skip خخخ, باش, ک and Finglish when writing to a teacher or an office.
• Answer holiday messages. At Nowruz, birthdays and other occasions, Iranians send many greetings. A short reply such as مرسی، همچنین (mersi, hamchenin, thanks, same to you) is expected.
• Ask before a voice message in formal chats. Friends love them; some colleagues prefer text.

How to read a casual Persian message

Here is a typical message from a friend, and how to take it apart:

سلام خوبی؟ امروز نمیتونم بیام ک. فردا میای؟ خخخ

1. Spot the shortcuts. ک is که (here an emphatic “you know”), and خخخ is a laugh.
2. Add the missing half-space. نمیتونم is نمی‌تونم (nemitunam, I can’t).
3. Translate spoken into written in your head. نمی‌تونم بیام is the spoken form of نمی‌توانم بیایم (nemitavânam biyâyam), and میای (miyâi) is می‌آیی (miâyi), “are you coming.”
4. Read the whole thing. “Hi, how are you? I can’t come today, you know. Are you coming tomorrow? Haha.”

Messages also mix numbers. Persian phone keyboards type Persian digits, so a time might appear as ۸ (8) or ۱۰ (10). Our list of Persian numbers shows all the digits side by side.

Using texting to learn Persian faster

Texting with Iranian friends is one of the best low-pressure ways to practice. You have time to think, you can look things up, and you see real spoken Persian every day.

• Switch your keyboard to Persian. Typing in Persian script will teach you spelling faster than any worksheet. If you don’t have a keyboard installed yet, the online Persian keyboard lets you type and copy.
• Keep a “chat phrases” note. Each time you meet a new phrase in a message, write it down with its meaning.
• Answer voice with voice. Reply to voice messages with a short one of your own. It is speaking practice with a real listener.
• Don’t copy the shortcuts into your schoolwork. ک for که belongs in chats, not in essays.

If you want ready-made dialogues for these everyday situations, Farsi Conversations collects the most common words and phrases Iranians use day to day.

Common questions

What does slm mean in Persian?

slm is Finglish shorthand for سلام (salâm), “hi” or “hello.” The vowels are dropped, the same way English speakers write “thx.” You may also see slm alone as a whole message, which simply opens a chat.

What does mrc mean in Persian texting?

mrc stands for مرسی (mersi), the everyday Persian “thanks,” borrowed from French. A warmer reply is قربونت (ghorbunet). For all the ways to say it, see thank you in Persian.

What does khkhkh or خخخ mean?

It is laughter, the Persian “haha” or “lol.” The letter خ (kh) is the first sound of خنده (khande, laughter). The longer the row, the funnier the message.

Do Iranians text in Finglish or Persian?

Inside Iran, mostly in Persian script, because every phone has a Persian keyboard. Finglish is common among Iranians abroad, heritage speakers and people whose phones are set to English. Either way, the language is usually spoken Persian, not the formal written style.

What does pv mean in Persian chat?

پی‌وی (pivi), from the letters PV, means a private chat. بیا پی‌وی (biyâ pivi) means “message me privately,” often said in a group chat. On Instagram, people say دایرکت (dâyrekt) for a direct message.

Is it rude to use Finglish or shortcuts with Iranians?

Not with friends; it is completely normal. With teachers, colleagues, older people or offices, write full sentences in Persian script and use the polite شما (shomâ) form. When in doubt, mirror how the other person writes to you.

Learn Persian with our bestseller

Study with the book

Learn Farsi in 100 Days: The Ultimate Crash Course to Learning Farsi Fast

PDF ebook, instant download. $26.99 Original price was: $26.99.$14.99Current price is: $14.99.

Add to cart See inside

Serious about Persian? Get all 30 of our Persian learning books for $199.99 (55% less than buying them one by one).

Browse all Persian learning books