կին
kin/kin/
The Armenian word for wife is կին (kin).
կին refers to a female partner in a marriage. In its most general sense, the word also means woman.
Meaning: female partner in a marriage (noun)
Which one should you use?
While կին is used to mean wife in the context of a marriage, its primary and more general meaning is woman.
How does it change in a sentence?
When adding the definite article to կին, the form changes depending on the following word. You can add the article ը to the end to form կինը (the wife). However, if the next word starts with a vowel, the final ն is doubled to create the form կինն (the wife).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kin. The /k/ sound is like the [c] in scan, the /i/ is like the [ea] in seat and is short in duration and the /n/ is like the [n] in nest.
Did you know?
- The Armenian word կին is a cognate of the Greek word γυνή (gyne), which is the root of English words like 'gynecologist'.
- In traditional Armenian culture, a wife may be referred to as տանտիրուհի, which literally translates to 'mistress of the house'.
- Because կին means both 'woman' and 'wife', Armenians often use the word կնջիկ as a diminutive or affectionate term for a wife or a sweet woman.
Examples in context
- Սա իմ կինն է։This is my wife.This sentence is useful for identifying someone as կին.Tatoeba #10728534 by vahanm, translation #1898100 by CK
- Նա իմ կինն է։She is my wife.Tatoeba #10734799 by vahanm, translation #7580714 by porfiriy
- Իմ կինը հղի է։My wife is pregnant.This sentence is useful for describing the state of կին.Tatoeba #13172499 by Proxima5, translation #8128082 by Luiaard
- 49 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Levon is introducing Nane to a colleague.
- Լևոն LevonԾանոթացեք, սա իմ կինն է՝ Նանեն։Tsanotats'ek, sa im kinn e՝ Nanen.Meet my wife, Nane.
- Նանե NaneՇատ հաճելի է ծանոթանալ ձեզ հետ։Shat hacheli e tsanotanal dzez het.It is very nice to meet you.
- Լևոն LevonԻմ կինը նույնպես աշխատում է այստեղ։Im kiny nuynpes ashkhatum e aystegh.My wife also works here.
- Նանե NaneԻսկ ո՞ր բաժնում է նա աշխատում։Isk vor bajnum e na ashkhatum?And in which department does she work?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wife” translations and entries կին, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
