زَوْجَة
zawjafeminine
The Arabic word for wife is زَوْجَة (zawja). Wiktionary also lists اِمْرَأَة (imraʔa).
Meaning: female partner in a marriage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| زَوْجَة | zawja | feminine |
| اِمْرَأَة | imraʔa | feminine |
The term is used to denote a female partner in a marriage.
What does it mean word for word?
The word زَوْجَة is derived from a root meaning 'pair' or 'mate', which implies the concept of a partner.
Which one should you use?
While both terms can refer to a female, زَوْجَة specifically refers to a wife. In contrast, اِمْرَأَة is a general term meaning 'woman' and is not specific to a marital relationship.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Maghrebi dialects, the term مرا (mra) is frequently used to refer to one's wife.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form of the word for spouse is زَوْج, meaning husband or spouse.
How do you pronounce it?
zawja
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, a man might introduce his wife to others by simply saying 'the house' (al-bayt) or 'the family' (al-ahl) as a polite euphemism.
- Arabic has a specific term, زَوْجَة أولى (zawja ula), meaning 'first wife', which is a linguistic remnant of the legal possibility of polygyny.
- While زَوْجَة is the standard term, in many spoken dialects like Egyptian or Levantine, you might hear the word مدام (Madam) used to refer to a wife in semi-formal social settings.
Examples in context
- هذه زوجتي الحبيبة.This is my beloved wife.
- عايز أعرّفكم لعروستي.I want to introduce you to my wife.
- شو رأيكم في عروستي الجديدة؟What do you think of my new wife?
- هَذِهِ زَوْجَةُ أَخِي.hādhihi zawjatu akhī.This is my brother's wife.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wife” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
