گَھڑی
ghaṛīfeminine
The English word 'watch' (referring to a timepiece) is translated into Urdu as گَھڑی (ghaṛī). Wiktionary also lists واچ (vāc).
Meaning: portable or wearable timepiece (noun)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| گَھڑی | ghaṛī | feminine |
| واچ | vāc | feminine |
Both گَھڑی and the loanword واچ refer to a portable or wearable timepiece. While گَھڑی is a versatile term that can refer to both a wristwatch and a wall clock, it is the standard term for a timepiece in general.
Which one should you use?
گَھڑی is the standard Urdu term and can describe both a wristwatch and a wall clock. In contrast, واچ is an English loanword specifically used for the wearable timepiece.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
واچ is considered informal and is commonly used in casual, urban Urdu speech.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
گَھڑی is a feminine noun, so any adjectives or verbs describing it must agree with a feminine subject. The plural form of گَھڑی is گَھڑیوں. Note that واچ is also feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
ghaṛī
Did you know?
- In traditional South Asian timekeeping, the concept of گَھڑی was used to divide the day into 30 equal parts before the adoption of Western clocks.
- In traditional Urdu poetry, گَھڑی is often used metaphorically to describe a fleeting moment of joy or sorrow rather than a physical timepiece.
- Using the loanword واچ can make you sound more like a city dweller in places like Karachi or Lahore than a traditional speaker.
Examples in context
- میری گھڑی بہت پیاری ہے۔ (Meri ghaḍī bohat pyaari hai.)My watch is very beautiful.
- اسکی واچ کتنی مہنگی ہے؟ (Uski wach kitni mehngi hai?)How expensive is his watch?
- تمہاری واچ ٹوٹ گئی ہے۔ (Tumhari wach tut gayi hai.)Your watch is broken.
- میں نے نئی گَھڑی خرید لی۔main ne nayi ghari khareed li.I bought a new watch.
Example conversation
Ahmed and Zainab are looking at a gift.
- احمد Ahmedزینب، دیکھو یہ گَھڑی کیسی ہے؟Zainab, dekho yeh ghari kaisi hai?Zainab, look, how is this watch?
- زینب Zainabاحمد، یہ بہت اچھی گَھڑی ہے۔Ahmed, yeh bahut achi ghari hai.Ahmed, this is a very good watch.
- احمد Ahmedکیا اس کا رنگ پسند آیا؟kya is ka rang pasand aya?Did you like its color?
- زینب Zainabہاں، مجھے یہ پسند آئی۔haan, mujhe yeh pasand aayi.Yes, I liked it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “watch” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
