पेशाब
peśāb/peː.ʃɑːb/
In Hindi, the English phrase 'pee' is expressed using the word पेशाब (peśāb).
The word पेशाब (peśāb) is the standard noun for urine. To use it as a verb meaning 'to urinate', you must pair it with the auxiliary verb 'to do' (करना).
Meaning: urinate (verb)
Which one should you use?
While पेशाब is the standard term, different registers are used depending on the situation: पेशाब करना is a common way to say 'to urinate', सुसु करना is a colloquial way often used with children and मूत्र त्याग करना is a highly formal or medical way to say 'to urinate'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
पेशाब करना is a common and widely used term. For highly polite or medical contexts, use मूत्र त्याग करना or the phrase मूत्राशय खाली करना (emptying the bladder). In very casual settings or when speaking to children, you may hear the colloquial सुसु करना.
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the noun पेशाब into the verb 'to urinate', you must add the auxiliary verb करना (karnā), resulting in पेशाब करना.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /peː.ʃɑːb/ (peśāb).
Did you know?
- The word पेशाब is borrowed from Persian and literally translates to 'front-water'.
- While सुसु is used in Hindi, it is a cross-linguistic phenomenon in India, appearing in baby talk across diverse language families from Indo-Aryan to Dravidian.
- To avoid the social taboo of mentioning bodily functions, Hindi speakers may use the phrase बाहर जाना (going outside) even when they are inside a building and referring to the restroom.
Examples in context
- क्या आपको पेशाब आया है?kya aapko peshab aaya hai?Do you need to pee?
- बच्चे ने पेशाब कर दिया।bacche ne peshab kar diya.The baby peed.
Example conversation
Amit and Pooja are driving in a car during a long trip.
- अमित Amitपूजा, मुझे पेशाब जाना है।Pooja, mujhe peshab jaana hai.Pooja, I need to pee.
- पूजा Poojaक्या पास में कोई पेट्रोल पंप है?kya paas mein koi petrol pump hai?Is there a petrol pump nearby?
- अमित Amitहाँ, थोड़ी दूर पर है।haan, thodi door par hai.Yes, it is a little further ahead.
- पूजा Poojaठीक है, हम वहाँ रुकते हैं।theek hai, hum wahan rukte hain.Okay, let's stop there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry पेशाब, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries पेशाब, CC BY-SA 4.0.
