A ritual of politenessSourced
An offer and refusal can be part of a longer exchange
Iranian taarof is a form of etiquette expressing deference. In hospitality, offers and polite refusals can be repeated. A single response may not reveal whether an offer or refusal is genuine or a courteous gesture.
Politeness can unfold across an exchange rather than one sentence.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
Source and reuse details
Taarof · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-10