प्रेमिका
premikā/pɾeː.mɪ.kɑː/feminine
In Hindi, the phrase for girlfriend is प्रेमिका (premikā) or गर्लफ़्रेंड.
Meaning: a female partner in a romantic relationship (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| प्रेमिका | premikā | /pɾeː.mɪ.kɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| गर्लफ़्रेंड | garlfreṇḍ | /ɡəɾl.fɾeːɳɖ/ (Hindi, Standard) /ɡəɾl.pʰɾeːɳɖ/ (Hindi, Standard) |
colloquial, feminine |
The term refers to a female partner in a romantic relationship.
What does it mean word for word?
प्रेमिका is derived from the Sanskrit root prem, which means love and translates literally to lover (female).
Which one should you use?
प्रेमिका is a formal, literary term often used in books, poetry or formal speech. In contrast, the English loanword गर्लफ़्रेंड is much more common in daily conversation and is the standard way to refer to a girlfriend in casual, modern urban settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
प्रेमिका is the formal version, while गर्लफ़्रेंड is colloquial and used in informal Hindi conversations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine counterpart to प्रेमिका is प्रेमी, which means boyfriend or lover (male).
How do you pronounce it?
premikā (pɾeː.mɪ.kɑː)
Did you know?
- In many Indian households, a person might refer to their गर्लफ़्रेंड as a 'friend' दोस्त or 'sister' बहन when speaking to parents to avoid social scrutiny.
- In rural areas where English is less common, people may use the term बंदी to refer to a girlfriend, though it is very slangy and can sound possessive.
- Because प्रेमिका is so literary, it is frequently used in the lyrics of 'ghazals', which are poetic songs that emphasize longing and heartache.
Examples in context
- वह मेरी गर्लफ़्रेंड है।She is my girlfriend.This sentence is useful for stating who someone's girlfriend is using the colloquial term गर्लफ़्रेंड.Tatoeba #4070513 by sabretou, translation #312168 by CK
- मेरी प्रेमिका अभिनेत्री है।My girlfriend is an actress.This sentence is useful for describing a girlfriend's profession using the formal term प्रेमिका.Tatoeba #2075184 by sabretou, translation #251590 by CK
- उसकी गर्लफ़्रेंड जापानी है।His girlfriend is Japanese.This sentence is useful for stating a girlfriend's nationality using the colloquial term गर्लफ़्रेंड.Tatoeba #3960747 by sabretou, translation #476845 by CK
- मेरी प्रेमिका मुझसे बहुत प्यार करती है।My girlfriend loves me a lot.
- क्या तुम मेरी गर्लफ्रेंड हो सकती हो?Can you be my girlfriend?
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Priya and Vikas are talking about Vikas's personal life.
- प्रिया Priyaविकास, क्या आपकी कोई प्रेमिका है?Vikas, kya aapki koi premika hai?Vikas, do you have a girlfriend?
- विकास Vikasहाँ, मेरी प्रेमिका बहुत समझदार है।Haan, meri premika bahut samajhdaar hai.Yes, my girlfriend is very understanding.
- प्रिया Priyaवह कहाँ रहती है?Wah kahan rehti hai?Where does she live?
- विकास Vikasवह दिल्ली में रहती है।Wah Delhi mein rehti hai.She lives in Delhi.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girlfriend” translations and entries प्रेमिका, गर्लफ़्रेंड, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
