عجیب
'ajīb/ə.d͡ʒiːb/
The English word "awkward" can be translated into Urdu as عجیب ('ajīb).
عجیب is used to describe someone or something that is awkward, specifically in the sense of lacking social skills or feeling uncomfortable during social interaction.
Meaning: lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ə.dʒiːb/. It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- In Urdu poetry, عجیب is sometimes used to describe a divine or wondrous strangeness, shifting the meaning from 'awkward' to something awe-inspiring.
- The word عجیب is actually a loanword from Arabic, meaning it entered the Urdu vocabulary through religious or classical literary traditions rather than native Indo-Aryan roots.
- In Urdu, describing a person as عجیب can be a polite way of calling them eccentric or odd without using a direct insult. It allows the speaker to remain vague about what exactly is 'awkward' about the person.
Examples in context
- وہ بہت عجیب انسان ہے۔Woh bohat ajeeb insaan hai.He is a very awkward person.
- مجھے اس سے بات کرنا عجیب لگتا ہے۔Mujhe us se baat karna ajeeb lagta hai.I find it awkward to talk to him.
- بات چیت بہت عجیب تھی۔Baat cheet bohat ajeeb thi.The conversation was very awkward.
Example conversation
Fatima and Hamza are discussing a new colleague at work.
- فاطمہ Fatimaحمزہ، کیا نیا ملازم تمہیں عجیب لگتا ہے؟Hamza, kya naya mulazim tumhein ajeeb lagta hai?Hamza, do you find the new employee awkward?
- حمزہ Hamzaہاں، وہ بات کرنے میں تھوڑا عجیب ہے۔Haan, woh baat karne mein thora ajeeb hai.Yes, he is a bit awkward at talking.
- فاطمہ Fatimaاس کی خاموشی بھی بہت عجیب ہوتی ہے۔Us ki khamoshi bhi bohat ajeeb hoti hai.His silence is also very awkward.
- حمزہ Hamzaشاید وہ صرف شرمیلا ہے۔Shayad woh sirf sharmila hai.Maybe he is just shy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry عجیب, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries عجیب, CC BY-SA 4.0.
