ਚੋਰ
cor/t͡ʃoːɾᵊ/masculine
The Punjabi word for thief is ਚੋਰ (cor).
ਚੋਰ is a masculine noun used to describe a person who carries out theft.
Meaning: one who carries out theft (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Malwa region, Chor is a term for thief.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of ਚੋਰ is ਚੋਰਾਂ. When the word is used as an object in a sentence with a postposition, it changes to the oblique form ਚੋਰ ਨੂੰ.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as cor and pronounced /tʃoːɾᵊ/.
Did you know?
- The term is often used in the idiom 'ਚੋਰ ਦੀ ਦਾੜ੍ਹੀ ਨਾ ਦਿਖਣੀ', which translates to 'a thief cannot see his own beard', used to describe someone's guilt.
- While ਚੋਰ is a common noun, in certain Punjabi folk songs, the term is sometimes used playfully to describe a 'heart thief' or someone who has stolen one's affection.
- Because Punjabi is a tonal language, the pitch used when saying ਚੋਰ can subtly change the emotional emphasis from a factual description to an accusation.
Examples in context
- ਕੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਚੋਰ ਨੂੰ ਦੇਖਿਆ?kī tusī̃ chor nū̃ dekhia?Did you see the thief?
- ਉਹ ਇੱਕ ਮਸ਼ਹੂਰ ਚੋਰ ਹੈ।uh ik mashhūr chor hai.He is a famous thief.
Example conversation
Two people discussing a missing wallet in a park.
- ਮਨਪ੍ਰੀਤ Manpreetਹਰਮਨ, ਮੇਰਾ ਬਟੂਆ ਗਾਇਬ ਹੈ!Herman, mera batua gayab hai!Herman, my wallet is gone!
- ਹਰਮਨ Hermanਕੀ ਇੱਥੇ ਕੋਈ ਚੋਰ ਸੀ?Ki ithe koi chor si?Was there a thief here?
- ਮਨਪ੍ਰੀਤ Manpreetਹਾਂ, ਇੱਕ ਅਜੀਬ ਬੰਦਾ ਇੱਥੋਂ ਭੱਜ ਗਿਆ।Haan, ik ajib banda itthon bhajj gaya.Yes, a strange man ran away from here.
- ਹਰਮਨ Hermanਚਲੋ, ਜਲਦੀ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਦੱਸਦੇ ਹਾਂ।Chalo, jaldi police nu dassde haan.Come on, let's tell the police quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thief” translations and entries ਚੋਰ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
