Persian pronunciation for English speakers

Persian pronunciation is friendlier than it looks. Only a few sounds are genuinely new for English speakers.

Good news first: Persian is mostly pronounced as it is written in romanisation, and the rhythm is steady. The tricky part is a small set of consonants and one vowel distinction.

The kh sound

kh (as in khoda, God) is a raspy sound made at the back of the throat, like the ch in the Scottish "loch" or German "Bach." It appears in very common words, so it is worth practising early.

The gh sound

gh (as in ghaza, food) is made even further back, a gargling sound with no close English equivalent. The letters ق and غ both produce it in modern Persian.

Two kinds of a, and the rolled r

Persian has a short a (like "cat") and a long â (like the "a" in "father," rounded toward "aw"). Mixing them up changes words. The r is lightly rolled, closer to Spanish than English.

Where the stress goes

Stress usually falls on the last syllable of a word. Once you expect that, your phrasing immediately sounds more Persian.

Master kh, gh, the â versus a difference, and final-syllable stress, and most of Persian pronunciation falls into place.