Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| بِیوِی | bīvī | feminine |
| پَتْنی | patnī | feminine |
| بیگَم | begam | feminine |
| اَہْلِیَہ | ahliya | feminine |
| زَوجَہ | zauja | feminine |
| زَن | zan | feminine |
| خاتُونِ خانَہ | xātūn-i xāna | feminine |
| خانَم | xānam | feminine |
All provided forms are feminine nouns referring to a female partner in a marriage. بِیوِی is the most commonly used term for wife in Urdu.
Which one should you use?
While several words exist for wife, they differ significantly in tone and context. بِیوِی is the standard, everyday term. اَہْلِیَہ and بیگَم are formal and respectful, with بیگَم often implying high status or nobility. زَوجَہ is used in formal, legal or religious contexts to denote a spouse. The term زَن should not be used to mean wife, as it specifically means 'woman'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The level of formality varies between the options. For highly formal, respectful or literary situations, you can use اَہْلِیَہ. بیگَم is also formal and carries a sense of nobility, while زَوجَہ is reserved for legal or official documents. Other forms include پَتْنی, خاتُونِ خانَہ and خانَم.
How do you pronounce it?
bīvī
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use زَن to refer to a wife. This word means 'woman' and is not a synonym for wife.
Did you know?
- In very traditional or conservative Urdu households, a husband might avoid saying بِیوِی in public, instead using a respectful euphemism like گھر والی which means 'the one of the house'.
- The word بیگَم originates from the Turkic word 'begum' and was historically used to denote the wives of high-ranking officials and royalty in the Mughal Empire.
- The form زَوجَہ is derived from the Arabic word for 'pair' or 'couple', highlighting the concept of two people being a matching set.
Examples in context
- میری بیوی کی اچھائیاں بے حد ہیں۔The virtues of my wife are boundless.
- میری بیگم میرے دل کی ملکہ ہے۔My wife is the queen of my heart.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wife” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
