چور
cor/t͡ʃoːɾ/masculine
The Urdu word for thief is چور (cor). Wiktionary also lists دُزْد (duzd) and سارِق (sāriq).
Meaning: one who carries out theft (noun)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| چور | cor | /t͡ʃoːɾ/ (Standard, Urdu) | masculine |
| دُزْد | duzd | masculine | |
| سارِق | sāriq | masculine | |
| سارِقَہ | sāriqa | feminine |
All the provided terms refer to someone who carries out theft. Note that the word lutera is used specifically to mean a robber.
Which one should you use?
In contrast, سارِق is a more formal, literary or legalistic term compared to چور.
How does it change in a sentence?
The formal term سارِق has a specific feminine form, سارِقَہ, which is used when referring to a female thief.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃoːɾ/
Did you know?
- The word چور is used in common Urdu idioms to describe someone who 'steals' a glance or a heart, moving the meaning from crime to romance.
- The common Urdu word چور is a cognate of the word 'chor' used in the Romani language to mean 'thief'.
- The feminine form سارِقَہ is used in formal settings, but in common speech, the gender-neutral چور is typically applied to anyone regardless of gender.
Examples in context
- چور بھاگ گیا۔chor bhaag gaya.The thief ran away.
- وہ ایک چالاک چور ہے۔woh ek chaalaak chor hai.He is a clever thief.
- پولیس نے چور کو پکڑ لیا۔police ne chor ko pakar liya.The police caught the thief.
Example conversation
Ali and Zainab are discussing a recent news report about a robbery.
- علی Aliکیا تم نے خبر سنی؟ ایک چور گھر میں گھس گیا۔kya tum ne khabar suni? ek chor ghar mein ghus gaya.Did you hear the news? A thief entered the house.
- زینب Zainabاوہ، کیا اس نے کچھ چرایا؟oh, kya us ne kuch churaya?Oh, did he steal anything?
- علی Aliہاں، چور بہت قیمتی زیور لے گیا۔haan, chor bohat qeemti zewar le gaya.Yes, the thief took very valuable jewelry.
- زینب Zainabیہ تو بہت برا ہوا، علی!yeh to bohat bura hua, Ali!That is very bad, Ali!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thief” translations and entries چور, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries چور, CC BY-SA 4.0.
