Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| فِلْم | feminine | |
| سِنیما | sinemā | masculine |
| چَلْچِتْر | calcitr | masculine |
| مُووِی | mūvī | feminine |
| مُتَحَرِّک تَصاوِیر | mutaharrik tasāvīr | feminine, plural |
| مُتَحَرِّک فِلْم | feminine |
In Urdu, there are several ways to refer to a motion picture depending on whether you are speaking formally, casually or describing the medium itself. You can use the standard term فِلْم, the transliterated English word مُووِی or the more descriptive phrase مُتَحَرِّک تَصاوِیر to refer to moving pictures.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase مُتَحَرِّک تَصاوِیر (mutaharrik tasāvīr) literally translates to "moving pictures".
Which one should you use?
فِلْم is the standard term for a film. For a more casual or modern tone, you can use the transliterated مُووِی, which mirrors the English word "movie". While سِنیما (sinemā) can sometimes refer to a movie, it is more frequently used to refer to the cinema or the art of filmmaking. The phrase مُتَحَرِّک تَصاوِیر is a descriptive way to say "moving pictures".
How does it change in a sentence?
فِلْم and مُتَحَرِّک فِلْم are feminine nouns, while سِنیما and چَلْچِتْر are masculine. The plural form مُتَحَرِّک تَصاوِیر is feminine.
Did you know?
- While فِلْم is the common word, the industry in Pakistan is often called 'Lollywood' to mirror 'Hollywood'. This term is used in English and Urdu contexts to describe the film hub of Lahore.
- The word چَلْچِتْر (chalchitra) comes from the roots for 'moving' and 'picture' and is shared with Bengali. It was once the standard term for cinema before English loanwords like فِلْم became dominant.
- The root of the word مُتَحَرِّک (mutaharrik) comes from the Arabic root for 'movement', which is the same root used in many scientific terms across the Islamic world for 'motion'.
Examples in context
- کیا آپ نے یہ ٹی وی فلم دیکھی ہے؟Have you watched this TV film?
- کالج کے بعد ہم نے ایک مووی دیکھیAfter college, we watched a movie.
- میرے دوست نے ایک دلچسپ فلم دیکھی ہےMy friend watched an interesting movie.
- یہ فِلْم بہت اچھی ہے۔yeh film bohat achi hai.This movie is very good.
- کیا آپ نے نئی فِلْم دیکھی؟kya aap ne nayi film dekhi?Did you see the new movie?
- میں ایک پرانی فِلْم دیکھ رہا ہوں۔mein ek purani film dekh raha hoon.I am watching an old movie.
Example conversation
Ahmed and Fatima are discussing what to watch at home.
- فاطمہ Fatimaاحمد، کیا ہم کوئی فِلْم دیکھیں؟Ahmed, kya hum koi film dekhein?Ahmed, shall we watch a movie?
- احمد Ahmedہاں، کوئی اچھی فِلْم تلاش کرتے ہیں۔haan, koi achi film talash karte hain.Yes, let's find a good movie.
- فاطمہ Fatimaکیا آپ کو ایکشن پسند ہے؟kya aap ko action pasand hai?Do you like action?
- احمد Ahmedنہیں، مجھے کامیڈی فِلْم پسند ہے۔nahin, mujhe comedy film pasand hai.No, I like comedy movies.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “movie” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
