جان
jān/d͡ʒɑːn/
The Urdu word for sweetheart is جان (jān).
جان is used to refer to a person who is very much liked or loved, serving as a term of endearment such as sweetheart or darling. Calling someone جان is a common way to express deep affection, as it treats the person as your very life.
Meaning: a person very much liked or loved by someone (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word جان literally means 'life' or 'soul'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To create a more poetic and romantic expression, you can use the Persian-derived construction جانِ من (jān-e man), which means 'my life' or 'my sweetheart'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is jān.
Did you know?
- In Urdu poetry and song, جان is often paired with جگر (jigar), meaning 'liver', to express that a loved one is as vital as one's internal organs.
- When someone is extremely exhausted or distressed, they might say میری جان نکل گئی (meri jān nikal gayi), literally 'my life has gone out'.
- While جان is a romantic term, it is also frequently used by parents and grandparents to address children, making it a general term of familial tenderness.
Examples in context
- Janu, tum meri jaan ho (جانو، تم میری جان ہو)Sweetheart, you are my life.
- تم میری جان ہو۔tum meri jaan ho.You are my sweetheart.
- میری جان، کہاں ہو تم؟meri jaan, kahan ho tum?Sweetheart, where are you?
- وہ میری جان ہے۔woh meri jaan hai.She is my sweetheart.
Example conversation
A couple is talking on the phone in the evening.
- عائشہ Ayeshaاحمد، میری جان، کیسے ہو؟Ahmed, meri jaan, kaise ho?Ahmed, sweetheart, how are you?
- احمد Ahmedمیں بالکل ٹھیک ہوں، عائشہ۔mein bilkul theek hoon, Aisha.I am perfectly fine, Aisha.
- عائشہ Ayeshaکیا تم گھر آ رہے ہو؟kya tum ghar aa rahe ho?Are you coming home?
- احمد Ahmedہاں، میں بس آ رہا ہوں۔haan, mein bas aa raha hoon.Yes, I am just coming.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry جان, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
