mulher
/muˈʎɛʁ/feminine
The English word 'woman' is translated into Portuguese as mulher.
mulher refers to an adult female person. Depending on the context, it can also mean 'wife' to refer to a married woman.
Meaning: adult female person (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain parts of Brazil, different informal terms are common. In southern Brazil, the friendly and informal term Guria is used. In the northeastern region of Brazil, the informal terms Mulé and Muié are used to say woman.
How does it change in a sentence?
mulher is a feminine noun. When referring to a specific woman, it must be preceded by the feminine definite article a (e.g., a mulher). The plural form of mulher is mulheres.
How do you pronounce it?
/muˈʎɛʁ/
Did you know?
- The word mulher may be distantly related to the English word 'milk' through a shared Proto-Indo-European root concerning the act of milking.
- Portuguese distinguishes between mulher (woman) and moça (young woman), with the latter implying a specific stage of youth and social status.
- In many Romance languages, including Portuguese, the word for 'woman' can shift meaning to 'wife' depending entirely on whether you use a possessive pronoun like 'my'.
Examples in context
- A mulher é bela.The woman is beautiful.This sentence demonstrates the use of mulher to describe a woman's appearance.Tatoeba #1236120 by alexmarcelo, translation #752469 by Shishir
- A mulher é gorda.The woman is fat.This sentence shows how to use mulher when describing a woman's physical weight.Tatoeba #1531465 by alexmarcelo, translation #1487012 by rkqb
- A mulher é jovem.The woman is young.This sentence is useful for showing how to use mulher to describe a woman's age.Tatoeba #2434041 by alexmarcelo, translation #2429367 by gone2bacolod
- A mulher que está liderando a conferência é muito capacitada.The woman leading the conference is highly competent.
- Aquela dama é uma renomada cientista.That lady is a renowned scientist.
- Essa mulher é minha melhor amiga.That woman is my best friend.
- Você viu aquela mina bonita na festa ontem?Did you see that beautiful girl at the party last night?
- 587 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Camila are talking at a café.
- RodrigoAquela mulher é minha irmã.That woman is my sister.
- CamilaEla parece muito simpática.She seems very friendly.
- RodrigoSim, ela é uma ótima mulher.Yes, she is a great woman.
- CamilaFico feliz por você, Rodrigo.I am happy for you, Rodrigo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “woman” translations and entries mulher, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mulher, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
