স্ত্রী
stri/st̪ɾi/
The Bengali word for wife is স্ত্রী (stri). Wiktionary also lists বিবি (bibi) and বেগম (begom).
Meaning: female partner in a marriage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Bengali | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| স্ত্রী | stri | /st̪ɾi/ |
| বিবি | bibi | |
| বেগম | begom | /beɡom/ |
| বউ | bou | /bou̯/ |
| আহলিয়া | ahliẏa | |
| জরু | joru | |
| পত্নী | potni | /pot̪ni/ |
All the terms provided refer to a female partner in a marriage.
Which one should you use?
While all these words mean wife, they carry different cultural and social nuances. বিবি is used within Muslim communities due to Persian and Urdu influences. বেগম serves as a more respectful or high-status way to refer to a wife, often in Muslim-influenced contexts. আহলিয়া and জরু are also forms used to denote a wife.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
স্ত্রী is the standard formal term used in polite conversation and official documents. In contrast, বউ is a common, colloquial and more intimate way to say wife in everyday speech.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is stri. The IPA is /st̪ɾi/.
Did you know?
- In many Bengali households, a husband may avoid using the word স্ত্রী or বউ when speaking to others, instead referring to his wife as 'the mother of my children'.
- The formal word স্ত্রী is also the general Bengali word for 'woman' or 'female', depending on the context of the sentence.
- The colloquial word বউ is derived from the Sanskrit word বধূ, which historically referred to a 'bride' rather than a 'wife'.
Examples in context
- আপনার স্ত্রী কি কাজ করে?Does your wife work?This sentence is useful for asking about a wife's occupation using স্ত্রী.Tatoeba #12467479 by robingaspi, translation #2260603 by Amastan
- আপনার স্ত্রী কোথায় কাজ করেন?Where does your wife work?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of a wife's workplace using স্ত্রী.Tatoeba #11653804 by robingaspi, translation #2260607 by Amastan
- তার স্ত্রী ইসলাম ধর্ম গ্রহণ করেছে।His wife accepted Islam.This sentence is useful for describing a wife's religious conversion using স্ত্রী.Tatoeba #11508601 by robingaspi, translation #8248877 by Amastan
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Anirban and Ishani are talking about their families at a cafe.
- ইশানি Ishaniআপনার স্ত্রী কেমন আছেন?apnar stri kemon achen?How is your wife?
- অনির্বাণ Anirbanআমার স্ত্রী খুব ভালো আছেন।amar stri khub bhalo achen.My wife is very well.
- ইশানি Ishaniশুনে ভালো লাগলো।shune bhalo laglo.Glad to hear that.
- অনির্বাণ Anirbanধন্যবাদ, ইশানি।dhonnobad, Ishani.Thank you, Ishani.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wife” translations and entries স্ত্রী, বিবি, বেগম, বউ, আহলিয়া, জরু, পত্নী, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries আহলিয়া, বউ, বিবি, বেগম, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
