Javād Ma'roufi was born in Tehran to the musician father Musā Ma'roufi and mother Ozrā Ma'roufi (or Ezra Ma'roufi) who both were distinguished pupils of Darvish Khan, a renowned music master of the time in Iran. Javād Ma'roufi lost his mother at young age, and consequently grew up in his paternal family. He was taught in music first by his father, playing both the tar and the violin. At fourteen he attended the Academy of Music of which Ali-Naqi Vaziri was the director and where he studied the piano under the music master Tatiana Kharatian (تاتیانا خاراطیان). During this period he studied works by Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven and Bach.