মেয়ে
meẏe/me/
The Bengali word for daughter is মেয়ে (meẏe). Wiktionary also lists বালিকা (balika).
Meaning: female offspring (noun)
Ways to say it
| Bengali | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| মেয়ে | meẏe | /me/ |
| বালিকা | balika |
In Bengali, the word মেয়ে is used to mean both 'daughter' and 'girl' depending on the context of the conversation.
Which one should you use?
While মেয়ে is the common way to express both 'daughter' and 'girl', the word বালিকা specifically means 'girl'. বালিকা is used in formal or literary contexts and is rarely used to mean 'daughter' in everyday speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the possessive form 'daughter's', add the suffix '-র' (-r) to মেয়ে to form মেয়ের.
How do you pronounce it?
/me/
Did you know?
- The word মেয়ে is a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'mother', as both share an ancient root related to the concept of a female progenitor.
- In many Bengali households, মেয়ে can be used as a general term of endearment for any young girl, regardless of biological relation.
- The term মেয়ে is related to the Odia word ମାଈ (māi), showing how Bengali shares deep linguistic ties with other regional languages of the Indian subcontinent.
Examples in context
- আমার একটা মেয়ে আছে।I have a daughter.This sentence shows how to express having a daughter using মেয়ে.Tatoeba #5589739 by tanay, translation #261892 by CK
- মেরি কি আপনার মেয়ে?Is Mary your daughter?This sentence uses মেয়ে to ask a question about a daughter.Tatoeba #5589786 by tanay, translation #2869244 by CK
- তাঁর দুটো মেয়ে ছিলো।He had one daughter.This sentence demonstrates the use of মেয়ে when describing a past relationship.Tatoeba #5589745 by tanay, translation #322866 by CK
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Moumita and Akash are talking about family photos.
- মৌমিতা Moumitaদেখুন, এটি আমার ছোট মেয়ে।Dekhun, eti amar choto meye.Look, this is my little daughter.
- আকাশ Akashসে খুব মিষ্টি দেখতে!Se khub mishti dekhte!She looks very sweet!
- মৌমিতা Moumitaধন্যবাদ, আমার মেয়ে খুব কথা বলে।Dhonnobad, amar meye khub kotha bole.Thank you, my daughter talks a lot.
- আকাশ Akashবাচ্চারা সাধারণত এমনই হয়।Bacchara sadharonto emoni hoy.Children are usually like that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “daughter” translations and entries মেয়ে, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries মেয়ে, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
