ثانِیَہ
sāniyamasculine
The English word "second" (the unit of time) is translated into Urdu as ثانِیَہ (sāniya) or سَیکَنْڈ.
Meaning: one-sixtieth of a minute, SI unit of time (noun)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ثانِیَہ | sāniya | masculine |
| سَیکَنْڈ | saikanḍ | masculine |
Both terms refer to the SI unit of time, representing one-sixtieth of a minute. They should not be confused with the ordinal number for second (2nd), such as دوسرا or the verb meaning to assist or support, which is مدد.
Which one should you use?
ثانِیَہ is the standard and formal term for the unit of time. In contrast, سَیکَنْڈ is a direct loanword from English and is frequently used when discussing time in a modern, everyday context.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both words are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
sāniya
Did you know?
- In colloquial Urdu, the loanword سَیکَنْڈ is so dominant that using ثانِیَہ in a casual conversation can sound overly poetic or like a textbook recitation.
- Because Urdu is often written in the Nastaliq style, the letters in ثانِیَہ may appear to stack vertically or slope diagonally rather than sitting on a straight line.
- The word ثانِیَہ shares a root with the Arabic word for 'dual', reflecting an ancient mathematical approach to dividing units into two parts.
Examples in context
- ایک ثانِیَہ باقی ہے۔Ek saaniye baaqi hai.One second is left.
- اس نے ایک ثانِیَہ میں یہ کر دکھایا۔Us ne ek saaniye mein yeh kar dikhaya.He did this in a second.
- کیا آپ مجھے ایک ثانِیَہ دیں گے؟Kya aap mujhe ek saaniye dein gay?Will you give me a second?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “second” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
