When we write in English, we prefer to call our language Persian. It is the established English name, and it helps readers connect the language spoken today with its literature, history, and culture. In Persian, we call it فارسی.
If you have always said “Farsi” in English, that is understandable. Many of us grew up with that name, so using it in another language feels natural. Here is why we think “Persian” is a better choice for English writing.
Different languages, different names
French speakers call their language le français, but in English we say “French.” We also say “Spanish,” while Spanish speakers use español or castellano.
The same pattern appears elsewhere: “German” is Deutsch, “Italian” is italiano, and “Portuguese” is português. Using their English names is an ordinary part of speaking English.
“Persian” works in the same way. “Farsi” is the name فارسی written in Latin letters. English already has the established name “Persian,” so we prefer to use it when writing in English.
A name that connects language and heritage
English readers may already know the phrases “Persian poetry” and “Persian literature.” Calling today’s language “Persian” helps them see the connection. Today’s everyday Persian has grown out of the language of earlier centuries, even as words and styles have changed. Encyclopaedia Iranica describes this gradual development of New Persian. [1]
The familiar name reaches beyond literature. Someone may know a Persian carpet, a Persian garden, a Persian cat, or the Persian Empire before learning anything about the language. The word is already familiar from art, everyday life, and history. [4] [5] [6]
Some connections go deeper than the name. The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes how a Persian garden carpet draws on garden design and images from the poetry of Hafez and Rumi. The flowers and trees woven into the carpet echo both real gardens and the images in those poems. [4]
If that reader knows “Persian poetry” but hears only “Farsi” for the language spoken today, they may miss the link. Using “Persian” makes it easier to see. Keeping the name consistent helps readers connect the language with a culture they may already know.
The name also fits what we make today: Persian podcasts, Persian software, Persian speech recognition, and Persian language models.
A shared history beyond one country
This heritage also crosses borders. The Library of Congress’s exhibition on the Persian book includes works from Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and other parts of Central and South Asia and the Caucasus. [2]
“Persian” helps English readers explore that wider history. Names such as Dari and Tajik also matter to the people who use them. We can recognize the connections while respecting those names and identities.
Can “Persian” name both a people and a language?
Some people argue that “Persian” refers to an ethnic group, so the language should be called “Farsi.” But one word can have both meanings. Merriam-Webster lists “Persian” as a name for people and for the language. [7]
Think of “French”: “She is French” and “she speaks French” are both ordinary English. The word can describe people or name a language, and the sentence makes the meaning clear. [8] In the same way, a person can be Persian and speak Persian.
The comparison is about how words work: “French” can refer to nationality, while “Persian” can refer to ethnicity. Speaking either language does not decide someone’s identity. A person can speak French without being French, just as someone can speak Persian without being ethnically Persian.
The standards use “Persian” too
Beyond everyday usage, “Persian” also appears in the standards used to identify languages. The ISO 639-3 registry calls fas Persian. It marks this as a “macrolanguage,” an entry covering more than one closely related language, and separately lists pes as “Iranian Persian” and prs as “Dari.” These differences matter when choosing a code for a specific language variety. [9]
The Library of Congress’s ISO code list also uses Persian: fa is its two-letter code, and its alternative three-letter codes are per for bibliographic use and fas for terminological use. [10]
IANA’s registry of internet language tags likewise labels fa Persian. The letters in the code do not mean we have to call the language “Farsi” in English. [11] These registries support “Persian” in technical writing, though they do not set rules for everyday conversation.
Does that make “Farsi” wrong?
“Farsi” is widely used in English, and Cambridge Dictionary includes it as a name for the language. [3] Someone who uses it may simply be choosing the name they know best.
We prefer “Persian” because it keeps the name consistent across language, literature, culture, and technology. If someone knows only “Farsi,” a friendly explanation is enough: both names refer to the language we are discussing.
A simple way to introduce the language
Try: “I speak Persian. We call it Farsi in our own language.”
On a website or in documentation, “Persian (Farsi)” can help on the first mention. After that, “Persian” is enough. Names such as “Persian text processing” or “Learn Persian” are clear and easy to follow.
At Shekar, we use فارسی when we write in Persian and “Persian” when we share our work in English. It is a small choice that helps people recognize our language and connect it with what they already know.
References and further reading
These sources support the facts about names, history, and culture discussed above. The recommendation to use “Persian” in English is our own.
1. Encyclopaedia Iranica — Persian Language i. Early New Persian — Historical development and continuity of New Persian.
2. Library of Congress — A Thousand Years of the Persian Book: Exhibition Overview — The geographical reach of Persian literary and book culture.
3. Cambridge Dictionary — Farsi — Documents Farsi as an English name for the Persian language.
4. Sheila Canby, The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Eternal Springtime: A Persian Garden Carpet from the Burrell Collection — Connects Persian carpet imagery, garden design, and poetry.
5. British Museum — Ancient Iran — Uses Persian empire in its account of Cyrus and ancient Iran.
6. The Cat Fanciers’ Association — Persian — Documents the English breed name.
7. Merriam-Webster — Persian — Records meanings referring to people and the language.
8. Merriam-Webster — French — Records uses referring to people and the language.
9. ISO 639-3 — fas: Persian; official downloadable code table — Reference names and scope classifications for fas, pes, and prs.
10. Library of Congress — ISO 639-2 Language Code List — Lists Persian with fa, per (B), and fas (T).
11. IANA — Language Subtag Registry — The record “Subtag: fa” has “Description: Persian” and “Scope: macrolanguage.”