زال
zāla/zaːlə/
The Sindhi word for wife is زال (zāla).
زال is a noun used to refer to a female partner in a marriage.
Meaning: female partner in a marriage (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as zāla. The IPA transcription is /zaːlə/.
Did you know?
- In many Sindhi households, it is often considered impolite for a husband to address his wife directly as زال in front of guests or elders. Instead, a husband might use terms like 'my household' or 'the lady of the house' to maintain social decorum.
- In Sindhi poetry and Sufi literature, the concept of the 'wife' or 'beloved' is often used as a metaphor for the soul's longing for the Divine.
- The word زال is a direct loan from Classical Persian, meaning it entered the Sindhi vocabulary through centuries of literary and cultural exchange with Persian-speaking empires.
Examples in context
- منهنجي زال گهر ۾ آهي.munhinji zal ghar mein aahe.My wife is at home.
Example conversation
Maryam and Sindhar are talking about family at a gathering.
- مریم Maryamسندھار، توهان جي زال ڪيئن آهي؟Sindhar, tohan ji zaal kiyan aahe?Sindhar, how is your wife?
- سندھار Sindharمنهنجي زال بلڪل ٺيڪ آهي، شڪر آهي.Munhinji zaal bilkul thik aahe, shukar aahe.My wife is perfectly fine, thank goodness.
- مریم Maryamڇا هو اڄ هتي ايندي؟Cha ho aaj hit ayindi?Will she come here today?
- سندھار Sindharها، هو ٿوري دير ۾ ايندي.Ha, ho thori der mein ayindi.Yes, she will come in a little while.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry زال, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries زال, CC BY-SA 4.0.
