ເມຍ
mīa[miːə̯˧˥]
In Lao, the English word wife is translated as ເມຍ (mīa). Wiktionary also lists ພັນລະຍາ (phan la nyā) and ບໍລິຈາ (bǭ li chā).
Meaning: female partner in a marriage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Lao | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ເມຍ | mīa | [miːə̯˧˥] (narrow) [miːə̯˩˨] (narrow) |
| ພັນລະຍາ | phan la nyā | |
| ບໍລິຈາ | bǭ li chā | |
| ປັດຕະນິ | pat ta ni | |
| ປະລິຈາລິກາ | pa li chā li kā | |
| ຊານິກາ | sā ni kā | |
| ຊາຍາ | s |
The term refers to a female partner in a marriage.
Which one should you use?
While ເມຍ is the standard word for wife in daily life, using it in a very formal setting like a wedding ceremony might sound too casual compared to ພັນລະຍາ.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ເມຍ is the most common and colloquial way to say wife in everyday conversation. In contrast, ພັນລະຍາ is a formal term for wife, often used in official documents, literature or formal speeches. The other forms provided in the pack include ບໍລິຈາ, ປັດຕະນິ, ປະລິຈາລິກາ, ຊານິກາ and ຊາຍາ.
How do you pronounce it?
mīa
Did you know?
- The word ເມຍ is a linguistic relative of the word for 'wife' in the Ahom language, which was spoken by the founders of the Ahom Kingdom in India.
- Many of the formal terms for wife, such as ບໍລິຈາ or ປະລິຈາລິກາ, are actually borrowed from Pali, the ancient liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism.
- Using ພັນລະຍາ in a casual home setting can sometimes sound ironically stiff or overly dramatic to native speakers.
Examples in context
- ເມຍລາວໄປຕະຫຼາດ.His wife goes to the market.This sentence shows how to use ເມຍ to talk about a wife's activities.Tatoeba #8983127 by Analu_Kalaka, translation #8983128 by Analu_Kalaka
- ເມຍຂອງຂ້ອຍເປັນຄົນໃຈດີ.mia khong khoy pen khon chai di.My wife is a kind person.
- ເຈົ້າຢາກພົບກັບເມຍຂອງລາວບໍ?chao yak phop kap mia khong lao bo?Do you want to meet his wife?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their families at a cafe.
- Aເມຍຂອງເຈົ້າສະບາຍດີບໍ?mia khong chao sabai di bo?Is your wife doing well?
- Bເພິ່ນສະບາຍດີ, ຂອບໃຈຫຼາຍໆ.phen sabai di, khop chai lai lai.She is doing well, thank you very much.
- Aດີແລ້ວ, ຝາກທັກທາຍເພິ່ນແດ່ເດ.di laeo, fak thak thay phen dae de.That is good, please give her my regards.
- Bໄດ້ເລີຍ, ຂ້ອຍຈະບອກເພິ່ນ.dai loei, khoy cha bok phen.Sure, I will tell her.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wife” translations and entries ເມຍ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ເມຍ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
