پانی
pānī/pɑː.niː/masculine
Water in Urdu is پانی (pānī). If unsure, use پانی. Wiktionary also lists آب (āb) and جل (jal).
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| پانی | pānī | /pɑː.niː/ (Standard, Urdu) | masculine |
| آب | āb | /ɑːb/ (Standard, Urdu) | masculine |
| جل | jal | /d͡ʒəl/ (Standard, Urdu) |
The primary term for the inorganic compound H₂O is پانی. If you wish to use water as a verb, such as when watering plants, you use the phrase پانی دینا, which literally means 'to give water'.
Which one should you use?
پانی is the standard, everyday word for water used in most contexts. آب is a Persian-derived word used primarily in poetic, literary or formal compound words. جل is a highly formal or technical term often used in scientific or highly stylized contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word پانی is a masculine noun and will dictate masculine verb endings and adjective forms in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /pɑː.niː/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word پانی is used in the idiom پانی پانی ہونا to describe the feeling of being extremely ashamed or embarrassed.
- In a social context, asking for پانی when visiting a home is often seen as a polite way to start a conversation or bridge a silence before the main tea is served.
- The word پانی has a common ancestor in Sanskrit, the ancient liturgical language of South Asia.
Examples in context
- ٹام پانی پیتا ہے۔Tom drinks water.Tatoeba #12032754 by Roomba_Unit, translation #8416467 by CK
- پھولوں کو پانی دیجیے۔Please water the flowers.Tatoeba #10812521 by Roomba_Unit, translation #507184 by CM
- گرم موسم میں پانی جلد اڑ جاتا ہے۔In hot weather, water evaporates quickly.Tatoeba #1440759 by nabeel_tahir, translation #1440715 by al_ex_an_der
- براہ کرم مجھے ایک گلاس پانی مل سکتا ہے؟ (Barāh karim mujhe ek glaas pānī mil sakta hai?)Can I have a glass of water, please?
- مجھے پیاس لگی ہوئی ہے (Mujhe piyās lagī huī hai)I'm thirsty
- زندگی کے لئے پانی ضروری ہے (Zindagi ke liye pānī zaroorī hai)Water is essential for life
- پانی ٹھنڈا ہے (Pānī thanda hai)The water is cold
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hamza and Sarah are in the kitchen.
- حمزہ Hamzaسارہ، کیا مجھے پانی مل سکتا ہے؟Sarah, kya mujhe paani mil sakta hai?Sarah, can I have some water?
- سارہ Saraجی حمزہ، یہ لیجیے۔Ji Hamza, yeh lijiye.Yes Hamza, here it is.
- حمزہ Hamzaشکریہ، پانی بہت ٹھنڈا ہے۔Shukriya, paani bohat thanda hai.Thanks, the water is very cold.
- سارہ Saraآپ کو ٹھنڈا پانی پسند ہے نا۔Aap ko thanda paani pasand hai na.You like cold water, right?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries پانی, آب, جل, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries آب, جل, پانی, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
