شَہْد
śahdmasculine
The English word honey is شَہْد (śahd) in Urdu. Wiktionary also lists عَسَل ('asal) and اَن٘گَبِین (aṅgabīn).
Meaning: sweet substance produced by bees (noun)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| شَہْد | śahd | masculine |
| عَسَل | 'asal | masculine |
| اَن٘گَبِین | aṅgabīn | masculine |
| مَدُھو | madhū | masculine |
The term refers to the sweet substance produced by bees.
Which one should you use?
While شَہْد, عَسَل and مَدُھو are all forms for honey, اَن٘گَبِین is a highly poetic and archaic term used specifically in high literature.
How do you pronounce it?
śahd
Did you know?
- The highly formal term اَن٘گَبِین is so rare in modern speech that most contemporary Urdu speakers would not recognize it without a dictionary.
- In traditional medicine of the region, honey is referred to as عَسَل when used in pharmacological contexts, whereas شَہْد is more common for the food item.
- The word شَہْد is also used in various Middle Eastern languages, which is why an Urdu speaker and an Arabic speaker would recognize it immediately.
Examples in context
- یہ شَہْد بہت میٹھا ہے۔yeh shahd bohat meetha hai.This honey is very sweet.
- مجھے چائے میں شَہْد پسند ہے۔mujhe chai mein shahd pasand hai.I like honey in my tea.
Example conversation
Ahmad and Zainab are having breakfast together.
- احمد Ahmedزینب، کیا آپ کو شَہْد چاہیے؟Zainab, kya aap ko shahd chahiye?Zainab, do you want some honey?
- زینب Zainabجی ہاں، شکریہ احمد۔Ji han, shukriya Ahmad.Yes, thank you Ahmad.
- احمد Ahmedمیں اسے آپ کے پراٹھے پر ڈال دیتا ہوں۔Mein ise aap ke parathe par daal deta hoon.I will put it on your paratha.
- زینب Zainabیہ بہت لذیذ لگتا ہے۔Yeh bohat lazeez lagta hai.This looks very delicious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “honey” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
