ընկերուհի
ənkeruhi/ənkeɾuˈhi/
The Armenian word for girlfriend is ընկերուհի (ənkeruhi).
ընկերուհի is a noun used to refer to a female partner in a romantic relationship.
Meaning: a female partner in a romantic relationship (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the root for 'companion' or 'friend' with a feminine suffix to indicate a female companion/friend.
Which one should you use?
While ընկերուհի refers to a girlfriend, the masculine form ընկեր is used to mean a boyfriend or male friend.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'the girlfriend' instead of just 'girlfriend', you add the suffix '-ն' to the end of the word to create the definite form ընկերուհին.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ənkeɾuˈhi/. The /ə/ sound is like the [a] in again, /n/ is like the [n] in nest, /k/ is like the [c] in scan, /u/ is like the [oo] in cool, /h/ is like the [h] in hot and /i/ is like the [ea] in seat, but short in duration.
Did you know?
- While ընկեր can mean boyfriend, it is also the standard word used for 'comrade' in political contexts, mirroring the Russian 'tovarishch'.
- The masculine version ընկեր is frequently used in professional settings to mean 'colleague', meaning your 'girlfriend' is technically your 'colleague' in a linguistic sense.
- The root ընկեր originally referred to someone who shares a common goal or 'companion in work', reflecting an ancient emphasis on partnership.
Examples in context
- Մերին իմ ընկերուհին է։Mary is my girlfriend.This sentence demonstrates how to identify someone as your own ընկերուհի.Tatoeba #12981511 by Proxima5, translation #2280384 by CK
- Ես դեռ ընկերուհի չունեմ։I still don't have a girlfriend.This sentence shows how to express that you do not have an ընկերուհի.Tatoeba #13167765 by Proxima5, translation #5913571 by CK
- Իմ ընկերուհին օգնեց ինձ։My girlfriend helped me.This sentence uses the form ընկերուհի to describe someone who provided help.Tatoeba #13311545 by Proxima5, translation #11675073 by sundown
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Levon is introducing his partner to Lilian.
- Լիլիան LilianՈ՞վ է այս աղջիկը:Ov e ays aghjiky?Who is this girl?
- Լևոն LevonՍա իմ ընկերուհին է:Sa im ynkeruhin e.This is my girlfriend.
- Լիլիան LilianՀաճելի է ծանոթանալ:Hacheli e dzanotanall.It's nice to meet you.
- Լևոն LevonՆա շատ բարի է:Na shat bari e.She is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girlfriend” translations and entries ընկերուհի, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ընկերուհի, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
