ຜົວ
phūa[pʰuːə̯˩(˧)]
The Lao word for husband is ຜົວ (phūa). Wiktionary also lists ສາມີ (sā mī) and ສະຫວາມິ (sa huā mi).
Meaning: male partner in marriage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Lao | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ຜົວ | phūa | [pʰuːə̯˩(˧)] (narrow) [pʰuːə̯˥˧˧] (narrow) |
| ສາມີ | sā mī | |
| ສະຫວາມິ | sa huā mi | |
| ພັດສະດາ | phat sa dā | |
| ປະຕິ | pa ti |
The term refers to a male partner in a marriage. While it is the most common way to refer to a husband in daily life, it is a colloquial term.
Which one should you use?
ຜົວ is the common, everyday term used in casual conversation. In contrast, ສາມີ is the formal or polite way to say husband.
How do you pronounce it?
phūa
Did you know?
- While ຜົວ is used daily, the formal term ສາມີ is borrowed from Sanskrit, where it literally means 'owner' or 'master'.
- The common word ຜົວ shares the same ancient roots as the Chinese word for husband, 夫.
- In Lao culture, using the colloquial ຜົວ when speaking to a superior about one's own spouse can be seen as too blunt or lacking in 'nam jai'.
Examples in context
- ຜົວລາວບໍ່ແມ່ນພະນັກງານບໍລິສັດ.Her husband is not a company employee.This sentence shows how to use ຜົວ to identify a person's occupation.Tatoeba #8983129 by Analu_Kalaka, translation #8983130 by Analu_Kalaka
- ລາວເປັນນັກການເມືອງດີແຕ່ລາວບໍ່ແມ່ນຜົວດີ.He is a good politician but he isn’t a good husband.This sentence uses ຜົວ to describe someone's character in a relationship.Tatoeba #8981588 by Analu_Kalaka, translation #8981589 by Analu_Kalaka
- ຜົວລາວເຮັດວຽກຢູ່ໂຮງໝໍ.phua lao het viak yu hong mor.Her husband works at a hospital.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their social plans at a cafe.
- Aຜົວເຈົ້າມາຮ່ວມງານລ້ຽງນຳບໍ່?phua chao ma ruam ngan liang nam bo?Is your husband coming to the party?
- Bບໍ່, ຜົວຂ້ອຍຕ້ອງໄປເຮັດວຽກ.bo, phua khoy tong pai het viak.No, my husband has to go to work.
- Aເສຍດາຍແທ້ໆ, ແຕ່ບໍ່ເປັນຫຍັງ.sia dai thae thae, tae bo pen yang.That's too bad, but it's okay.
- Bໄວ້ເທື່ອໜ້າຄ່ອຍເຈີກັນເດີ້.vai thua na khoy choe kan der.Let's meet up next time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “husband” translations and entries ຜົວ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ຜົວ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
