Lo and behold, we have a Pakistani American superhero in Marvel! Why is that significant? More than 550,000 Pakistani Americans are living in the USA. Whether you or your family is from Pakistan or not, chances are that you would have met a Pakistani somewhere! Just like all other cultures, we Pakistanis are in some ways alike, yet somewhat different than the rest.
Ms. Marvel showed a Pakistani American family in all its colors. We have a teenager trying to understand her roots and beliefs while also trying to fit in. An elder brother who, with time, has become comfortable with a particular religious identity. A dad who gets excited at the marvels (no pun intended) of technology and wants to make life lighter and easier for his family. A mom who is the boss of the house and feels responsible for keeping the tiniest things in check. And a grandmother who sends over all her treasures for her grandchildren.
You might be thinking, are all Pakistani American families exactly like Ms. Marvel’s? Well, no. Just like any other culture, Pakistani culture is extremely diverse. All Pakistani families would have very different dynamics. But yes, there is one thing that is common for most Pakistanis: their language, Urdu.
And one thing Ms. Marvel is absolutely spot-on is that it shows how Urdu fits in our daily lives!
So as we rewatch Ms. Marvel first episode for the third time, we decided to put together this blog to help you understand the meaning and Pakistani cultural contexts of different Urdu words and phrases used in the series. We’ll also touch upon songs and music references that might interest you. Let’s go episode by episode and get closer to the Pakistani American culture little by little.
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Ms. Marvel Episode 1: Meaning of Urdu Words
Ammi
Oh, this word smells of paradise. Ammi means “Mom”. Although there are other names for Mom in Urdu, Ammi is the one we have heard the most around us. And yes, we call our moms Ammi too! 😉 Just like you saw in Ms. Marvel how the moms in Pakistani culture take responsibility for the tiniest things, we Pakistanis get very close to our Ammis. We call out to them if we get hurt, or sad, or scared, or literally anything and everything! So next time you prank a Pakistani and they shout “AMMIIIIIIIIII” don’t think that their mom is behind you! ✋ You are safe! We are just hardwired to calling out to our Ammis (plural of Ammi in Urdu: Ammiyaan).
Abbu
Abbu is Ammi’s other half, “dad”. Abbu is also one of the most common terms for dad, but others like “baba”, “abba”, and “baap” (usually used informally) are also very common. For ages, Abbus (plural of Abbu in Urdu: Abbu) were the ones who were the sole breadwinners of their families. So we Pakistanis remember our or someone else’s Abbu when we are talking (arguing) about the ownership of something of value. For instance, if you are fighting with a Pakistani American over who will take the last parking spot and they say, “Is this your abbu’s parking spot?” Don’t go and ask your dad for his ownership. We just mean that it’s not your parking spot.
Bismillah
Literally, it means “in the name of Allah”. As Pakistan’s population is predominantly Muslim, this word has become a very common part of Urdu as well as the Pakistani culture. We say “Bismillah” before starting anything, especially if it’s something important. It has become so embedded in Urdu that it is now used interchangeably with the word “shuru”, which means “to start”. If you are in a Pakistani household and dinner is being served. We might ask you to do Bismillah with the food. We don’t mean that you have to say Bismillah. We just want you to start eating. 🍽️
Nananana hey hey… (Desi vocables)
Ever wondered why Bollywood movies have so many songs? It’s because music is a very important part of our lives! Our songs and melodies are designed to exhibit strong emotions. See Kamala’s expressions and connect with the music. The depiction of emotions in our songs is lit.
Choro jee
It means “leave it be”. Although it seems straightforward, but we don’t say choro jee very lightly. We say it when things are starting to get on our nerves. Whether we are irritated or we don’t want the other person to feel bad anymore. Choro jee is the final call for us. When we say it, leaving something be is not up for discussion. It’s over! We don’t want to talk about it anymore. So when your Pakistani American friend says choro jee to you, let them change the subject. Otherwise, things can become awkward.
Kameena kaheen ka
Let’s break this phrase into two parts: “Kameena” and “Kaheen ka”.
If you want to go into the translations, the word Kameena originates from Farsi which means “lowlife”. But don’t go into the translations. 🙏 Most people who speak Urdu also don’t know what kameena exactly means. We just call anyone bothersome “kameena” in an informal setting. Fun fact, this poetic title is not limited to just people. We also call non-sentient things kameena if they bother us! So in your workplace, if the internet is not working, you might hear a Pakistani guy exclaim, “The internet is doing kameena-pun (the act of being kameena).” We just mean that the internet is bothering us.
Let’s move to “Kaheen ka”. If translated literally, it would mean “of anywhere”. So, kameena kaheen ka would mean “lowest of lowlifes anywhere”. BUT LIKE WE SAID, DON’T GO INTO THE TRANSLATIONS! We take these insults very lightly. We Pakistanis use Kaheen ka to make the insult more emotionally complete. If someone tells a single lie about us, we won’t call them “Jhoota” (meaning liar). Something would feel missing. We’ll call them “Jhoota kaheen ka”. That doesn’t mean that they are the worst liar in the whole world. It’s just that we feel better when we call them that.
Chalo
Chalo means “let’s go”. This word, you can take literally. But like all others, there is a lot more to this word than just its literal meaning. Here’s a fun fact about Urdu: In this poetic language, there are a lot of repetitions. It just feels complete that way. Sometimes, with Chalo, you’ll hear “Chalen”, which means the same thing: “let’s go”. But when we say chalo chalen our sentence just seems more complete.
Chalo is also used interchangeably with “Okay”. So when you hear a Pakistani say, “Chalo, let’s eat”. They mean, “okay, let’s eat”. They don’t want you to actually go somewhere else to eat. For this word, you may also hear “Chalo okay”. Now, this is just another example of repetition in Urdu. We are emphasizing okay by saying it twice. Once in Urdu and once in English! Pure bilingualism! ✌️
Beta
Take the word “child” and combine it with all the elderly warmth you can imagine. That’s how you get the word “beta”. For us, Pakistani ex-pats, hearing this word from an older person gives a happy feeling that reminds us of our home country, where we were surrounded by our families and loved ones.
But, all is not rosy for this word. If you say Beta to someone at the same age level as you or someone older, it would be considered derogatory. It would mean you are undermining their authority/ intelligence/decision and whatnot. So, only call someone beta when they are younger than you.
Wanna learn more about Urdu? Click here!
Naani
Naani is our ammi’s ammi: maternal grandmother. It also extends to Naani’s sisters and female cousins. All of them would be our Naani. And just cuz we are talking about it. The significant other of Naani is Naana, Ammi’s abbu: maternal grandfather. You’ll also find many cute variations of these words in the Pakistani American community. Still, mostly, people would understand what you mean when you ask them about their Naani or Naana, even if they call them something else.
Baat Pakki
Baat Pakki refers to a very important event in a desi person’s life. It’s when your and your spouse-to-be’s parents make the decision of your marriage. It’s one of the most important events in a couple’s life because, in most cases, the parents take the final decision of who you will marry. This event is the first significant milestone for a to-be-married couple, and all family joins in the celebrations. This is why you saw Naani sending stuff from thousands of kilometers away to participate in this special occasion for Aamir.
Ko Ko Korina (Song)
Ko Ko Korina is a Pakistani song from 1966 by Ahmed Rushdi. It was Pakistan’s first pop song. Even after more than half a century, whenever this song comes up, we Pakistanis greet it with huge smiles on our faces. It’s almost impossible to not sing along to its catchy music. There have been many renditions of this song, one recomposed by the song’s original composer, Sohail Rana. But we love the original! Listen to the song below and tell us how hard it is to not have this song fill up your mind!
Haaey (When Kamala wears a lot of bangles and rings)
We can argue that Haaey is probably among the most versatile words in Urdu to communicate emotions. We say haaey in shock, complaint, and pain. The length of haaey is directly proportional to the intensity of pain. Haaey is also combined with several other words to communicate other feelings.
When combined with “Aaey”, we say aaey haaey when either we really LOVE something or we are extremely disgusted by it. I know it sounds confusing, but if you just see the face of the person saying, “aaey haaey”, it’ll be crystal clear if it’s awe or disgust.
When combined with “haw”, we use haw haaey to show that something is simply unbelievable. Typically used in gossip, using this word will help you communicate your inner-most feelings of envious disbelief.
Don’t confuse it with the English “Hi”, Urdu haaey is many things but never a greeting. If someone looks at you and says, “haaey this person again?” They are not so happy to see you.
Jee – the suffix (you might have missed this one in the episode)
Jee is the suffix of respect in Urdu. Pakistanis add jee in front of other words to add respect and love to those words. Ammi/amma becomes Ammi jee/amma jee. Abbu becomes abbu jee. We sometimes also add jee to random words to add respect or formality to those words. Haan (yes) becomes haan jee. Chalo becomes chalo jee, sunen (listen) becomes sunen jee. The last one is very common between spouses, so it has a romantic vibe to it.
Kaisi hain?
It means “How are you?” directed to a female. Questions in Urdu are different for different genders. For a male, this would become Kaisay hain? These are more formal versions of how are you, but they are not reserved just for elders. We also use them when talking to someone younger than us to show love and respect for them.
Meray kapray tayyaar hain?
It means, “Are my clothes ready?” My, clothes, and ready translate to mere, kapray, and tayyaar respectively. So see, the sentence structure in Urdu is very similar to English. The difference in Urdu is that the helping verb (“hain” in this sentence) always comes at the end of the sentence.
As-salaam-u-alaikum & Walaikum salaam
This is an Islamic greeting. It means “peace be upon you”. Since Pakistan’s population is predominantly Muslim, this greeting is very much embedded in Urdu. Sometimes, you’ll see a shorter version of this greeting, like Salaam or Salaam alaikum, and Walaikum in reply. The sentiment remains the same for both.
Gora boy
This is a very impolite way of referring to a white boy. Post colonialism, people from the subcontinent held onto their negative sentiments about the conquering British. These sentiments are passed on a little bit to the current older generation. It is typically mentioned when the feeling towards that particular person is negative.
Butti kholo
It means “turn on the lights”. “Butti” means light, and “kholo” means turn on. Kholo is also one of many versatile words in Urdu. In addition to “turn on”, it also means “open”. The context of the sentence usually communicates which of these meanings is being used. If your Pakistani American friend says, “Door kholo”, they want you to open the door. If they say, “TV kholo”, they mean turn the TV on, not take the whole thing apart.
Bhaee Waah
Waah in Urdu means “wow”. But we feel that sometimes, just saying wow is not enough. So we add bhaee to make it extreme. Bhaee waah means “a massive WOW!”. Bhaee is added to other words as well to make them more intense and sometimes give them a tone of finality.
Let’s say you ask your Pakistani friend if they want to cook, and they say naheen bhaeee (naheen means “no”). It means they don’t want to cook at all and they don’t want you to ask them again. Let’s say you ask them if they want to eat, and they say haan bhaee ( haan means “yes”). It means that they definitely want to eat and don’t want you to ask them again. They are very sure about it.
Sometimes, when we Pakistanis have a lot of emotions to share but we don’t know how exactly to communicate them, say only bhaee. This is typically used when we are irritated and finding it hard to communicate that irritation. Just like haaey, the length of lone bhaee would be directly proportional to the intensity of irritation.
Haan bolo
Haan means “yes”, and bolo means “speak”. However, haan in response to calling someone over is simply an acknowledgment in response. Just like when you call someone, and they say, “Yes, what’s up?”, they don’t literally mean yes, but are just acknowledging that they heard you.
Rokna
Rokna means to stop or pause someone or something (someone or something other than yourself). Its pronunciation is very slightly different from the rukna, which has a “u” sound. When someone says rukna, they are asking you to stop. If you and your Pakistani friend are leaving the house and their parents say to you, rokna, you should stop your friend. If they say, rukna, just stop yourself and wait (they might give you a lot of food!). 😉
As-tagh-fir-ullah
It is also an Islamic prayer, which means “I seek forgiveness from Allah”. In Pakistani culture, it is synonymous with saying that something is bad. That bad thing doesn’t necessarily have to be against Islam. For instance, if our room is a mess, our ammi will say, “Astaghfirullah, your room is such a mess!”
Chai
For a Pakistani, chai is the elixir of life. It is a South Asian variation of milk tea. In the Pakistani community, there is no particular time to drink tea. It’s usually a must-have in the morning and evening. Many people also drink chai after meals (in addition to the morning and evening chai). It’s a guaranteed way to start a good relationship. If you want to make Pakistani American friends, take a thermos of good chai and start offering people free chai. You’ll be super popular in no time!
Jin (Djinn)
These Jins are a more mysterious version of the “Genie” in English. You’ll find that many Pakistani Americans believe in Jins, regardless of their religion. We believe that Jins are another enigmatic species, just like humans. So just like we have good and bad humans, there are good and bad Jins. But since we don’t know much about them, we are generally afraid of them.
Haraam
Haraam refers to all things that are forbidden in Islam. If your Pakistani Muslim friend says something is haraam, don’t try to convince them otherwise. Either we’ll say a very long bhaeee or if we do it, we’ll feel guilty about it later on!
Bara Hulk aur Choti Hulk
It means big Hulk and little Hulk. In Urdu the adjectives change as per the subject’s gender. Masculine adjectives (for males) usually end in “aa” sound. Feminine adjectives (for females) usually end in “ee” sound. Notice that Ammi used bara (ending in “aa”) for Abbu, and choti (ending in “ee”) for Kamala.
Bachi
Bachi means daughter or female child. This is rarely used, typically only when parents talk to their daughter. Typically, it’s not advised to use this just for someone else. In those cases, use the warmth of “beta”.
Shalwaar Kameez
This is the national dress of Pakistan, worn by both males and females. Unlike popular belief, Shalwaar Kameez have as many different styles as you can imagine. The intensity of colors and brightness of Pakistani Shalwaar Kameez depends on the occasion and the person’s taste. Not to mention, it’s super comfy! Try it some time!
Bus
This is one of the most powerful words in Urdu language. Bus means “enough”. Here is a fun fact: The lower the volume when saying bus, the more grave the situation is. So don’t think that if someone is saying bus in a low voice, that means you can keep going. They really would have had enough and could burst out any moment. In Ms. Marvel, Notice how low the volume of Ammi was when she said “Bus Kamala”. That. Was. Intense.
Ye lo jee aap
Aaah, the respect in this sentence. Ye means “this”, “lo” means take, jee is the respect suffix, and aap means a very respectful “You”. It translates to “take this please” in Urdu. Notice how jee is used here to introduce respect to a very simple interaction.
Kia ker rahay ho?
It means, “What are you doing?” This one is fairly straightforward, although we loved the tone and Kamala’s expression when she saw her abbu dancing and being romantic with ammi. Ammi abbu ka chupa pyaar hai jee! (It’s mom and dad’s secret love!) 😍
Ms. Marvel Episode 2: Meaning of Urdu Words
Allahu Akber
Allahu Akber an Arabic phrase meaning “Allah is the greatest”. In Urdu, this whole phrase is called “tukbeer”. Essentially, it is the Muslim call used in Salah (prayers), moments of joy or marvel, in the beginning of a great endeavor (marriage), and in many other religious and life events. It’s an expression of gratitude and a show of humbleness to Allah.
Jalebi Baby Song
Jalebi Baby is the new hit party song played in South Asian events and is sung by the South Asian singers. For language buffs, Jalebi is a type of deep-fried dessert in Pakistan.
A mashup of Bollywood’s famous “Jalebi Baai” and Justin Bieber’s “Yummy”, Tesher’s song produced massive waves all across North America. It’s truly a song that fits all party vibes. 🎉
Baazigar
Baazigar means “a true player”. Sometimes, also referred to someone who is so skilled that they appear to be magicians in their craft. In Ms. Marvel, Baazigar is the reference to an old Bollywood movie of Shahrukh Khan in which he takes revenge of…. Sorry not giving anymore spoilers 😊. You can enjoy watching the movie here.
Pro Tip: Use this all-time famous dialogue from Baazigar to sound super cool in front of your Pakistani friends and to instantly win their hearts 💖
😀 Haar ker jeetnay waalay ko baazigar kehtay hain! (A true player is the one who wins even after he loses.) 😀
DDLJ
This is short for “Dil Waalay Dulhaniya Lay Jaa.en gay”. A cult classic from Bollywood. This is a movie that all the romantics love to quote. Its dialogues are still as freshly remembered as when the movie was released. Especially,
Jaa Simran, jee lay apni zindagi! (Go Simran (name), live your life!)
This dialogue was so powerful that even Simran, the heroine, was also taken aback and stayed mesmerized even though she literally had a running train to catch.
Eid
Eid is the most major festival for Muslims. And again, as Pakistan has a vast Muslim majority, Eid is celebrated with as much vigor as Christmas in the Western countries. The word Eid literally means “festival”. There are two main Eids for Muslims: Eid-ul-Fiter is the Festival of breaking of the fast, and Eid-ul-Azha is the festival of the sacrifice. These are also the literal translations of both words.
Many Pakistani Americans also call Eid-ul-Fiter, the Choti Eid, which means little Eid. In this festival, Muslims give money to the poor, dress up, meet our friends and family, and eat a lot of desserts.
Similarly, we call Eid-ul-Azha, the bari Eid, which means big Eid. This is when, we sacrifice animals, give 1/3 of the meat to the poor, 1/3 to our friends, neighbors, and relatives, and keep the remaining 1/3 for ourselves. You can imagine that in this Eid, we eat a lot of meat! 🥩
On Eids, you can wish your Muslim friends, Eid Mubarak, which means “have a blessed Eid”!
Haraam dot Kamran
We Pakistanis thrive on such cute taunts! Haraam means something that’s forbidden in Islam. Since Kamran was searching for haraam things on the internet, Amir comically named him Haraam dot Kamran.
Karachi
Karachi is the metropolitan capital of Pakistan. It is the most populous, most economically active, and the most diverse city in the country. If a person is from Karachi, it does not mean that they have a specific personality. They would be a mix of a lot of different cultures that they get exposed to in the city. People from all over Pakistan come to Karachi to find work, which makes the city one of the most colorful and fun places to live in. And if you love food and you want to try everything Pakistan has to offer, Karachi is the place to go. You’ll find cuisines from all corners of Pakistan there. As a biased Karachiite, it is truly the best place to live in Pakistan 😊 Karachi to Pakistan is the same as New York City is to the United States of America.
Evil Eye
The concept of evil eye is very prevalent among Pakistanis. In its most basic sense, the evil eye is the metaphysical harm caused by bad thoughts of someone who is envious with you. Although, there are a lot of Pakistani Americans who do not believe in this concept, you’ll find that many have a very strong belief in it. To prevent evil eye, Muslims say Ma Sha Allah, which we believe automatically makes the evil eye null and void.
Zamzam
Zamzam is the holy water for Muslims. It comes from a well in Mekkah, Saudi Arabia that is highly regarded among Muslims. It is said to have cure for a lot of things. Many people keep it in their house as a blessing and as a cure for physical and metaphysical illnesses.
Ayat ul Kursi
Ayat ul Kursi literally means “the throne verse”. It is a verse in the Holy Quran that is recited by Muslims to get blessings, keep evil away from them, and give them calmth. This verse talks about the power of Allah as the One who sustains and protects everyone. It gives them peace to think about how the God is going to take care of them.
Masjid
More commonly called “Mosque” in English, Masjid is a place of worship for Muslims.
You might be curious, how an Urdu, Arabic, and Farsi word Masjid became Mosque in English. Well, Mosque is actually derived from the Spanish word Mezquita. As Islam spread to Europe, Spanish language borrowed the word Masjid from Arabic. Since Spanish doesn’t have a “J” sound, it replaced “J” in Masjid with a “k” sound represented with “qc”, which later evolved into “Q”. Now, how did the “T” at the end replaced the “D”. You’d notice how Italians pronounce Muhammad as “Mehmet”. That’s what the Romans always did when they borrowed words from other languages that have “D”.
Sorry if you were not interested in the etymology of the word “Mosque” 😊 but that’s how it came in it’s current form.
Halal (Halaal) gap
Halal (or halaal) is the opposite of Haram (or haraam). It means everything that’s allowed in Islam. For most of the Muslims, it is important to keep a little physical distance between the opposite genders. They would seriously mind if you engage in Huggies and touchy touchy. So make sure that they are comfortable with it if you want to get close. Otherwise, bro, keep the halal gap.
Mini Harami girls
Harami is someone who does haram (things that are not allowed in Islam). Mini harami girls would be those who are doing something that’s at the borderline of haram but not totally haram. So they would still be safe. But just by a tiny bit.
Ms. Marvel Episode 3: Meaning of Urdu Words
Betho
You might go to a Pakistani friend’s house and they will say betho na. Betho means to sit down or take a seat. Pakistanis are very hospitable and if they offer you a seat, you better be sure that there’s more to come. After being seated, you might be served with delicious sweets or a cup of piping hot tea. Betho has all the warmth of welcoming someone into one’s home. It speaks of hospitality and apnaaiyut (a familial sense of closeness; is the closest I can manage to translate it but there is still a lot lost in translation).
Shabaash
Imagine you passed an exam with flying colors or broke your mom’s favorite teacup, it’s very likely that will hear shabaash both times! Curious to know why? Please allow me to explain! 😀
Shabaash is Urdu equivalent of ‘good’ or ‘well done’. You might use it to praise someone on their effort or let them know of your appreciation. However, it is used sarcastically as well which explains the teacup mishap. Just like you would use ‘good going’ or ‘great’ (perhaps accompanied with an exasperated eyeroll) in English, shabaash is exactly that word and can be used in both situations.
Noor
In the episode, you might have caught the phrase “Noor dimension”, the dimension where Kamala’s great-grandmother and her companions came from. In Urdu, noor means ‘light’. Noor has a more eloquent and poetic connotation, where one might use it to describe moonlight or ‘the light of one’s eyes’.
You may have heard of the fabled Koh-i-Noor diamond. Koh-i-Noor can be translated to the “mountain of light” or the legendary Pakistani singer Madam Noor Jahan, whose name literally means ‘light of the universe’.
Junoon
This one was explained by Kamala’s abbu himself. Junoon is passion and excitement and fervor. It is used to elicit an intense feeling, perhaps about a sport or even about one’s loved ones. Junoon can also be used to depict a feeling that might lead you to madness.
Junoon is also the name of a famous Pakistani band and if you have or would ever delve into the world of Pakistani music or cricket, you are sure to have heard the song ‘Jazba-e-Junoon’ (the feeling of passion). If you haven’t, no worries. Listen and enjoy to this upbeat classic and feel your spirits rising!
Mujnoon
Mujnoon is a person who has Junoon or is passionate. Mujnoon might sound familiar to you, does Layla and Mujnoon ring a bell? Layla and Mujnoon is the desi version of Romeo and Juliet. Poor Mujnoon might have had a different name but his passionate love for Layla left him to be forever remembered as Mujnoon! In Pakistani context too, a romantic couple is referred to as Layla Mujnoon or Layla Mujnoon ki jori meaning the couple of Layla and Mujnoon.
Ajnabi
Before the Clandestines introduced themselves to Kamala, they were ajnabi to her. And that is what they were to much of the world, different from humans, living in hiding. In Urdu, ajnabi is used for someone or something that is unknown, foreign, or a stranger. But not only Urdu, it also has the same meaning in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Somalian.
Mehndi
If you’ve ever been to a Pakistani wedding or any Eid festival, chances are you must have heard the word mehndi quite often. You’d also have heard mehndi in the many Bollywood songs! Mehndi is the heart and soul of getting ready in any desi event and there are whole events and traditions dedicated to the application of mehndi, henna paint in English. The context mehndi was used is both of the application of mehndi, where women of all ages get together to get their hands and feet decorated with this paint, with a particular scent that reminds one of wedding shenanigans and other parties; and also mehndi is an increasingly popular event in South Asian weddings, where girls get their mehndi done (of course) and afterwards everyone joins in for meticulously choreographed dance sequences, lots of dhol (drums), music, food, drinks and much much more! So if you’re ever invited to a “Mehndi event”, I would recommend to not miss it. You will have the time of your life! 🥳🥳🥳
Ms. Marvel Episode 4: Meaning of Urdu Words
Being born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, this episode has our heart. Ms. Marvel did justice in representing the streets of Karachi in its true sense. From the variety of transportation in the streets such as rickshaw, buses, and chin-chi in their true essence, for example, the chin-chin won’t go faster to the busy streets of the city. Saying that we enjoyed it would be an understatement for how much we loved watching it! Now in Canada (and Hadia in Germany), we were only craving that Karachi style biryani that Kamala and her cousins were enjoying by the beach hahaha.
Pichli baar
Pichli baar means “previously on” or “last time”. This phrase is used to refer to “last time” where the suffix “baar” refers to the number of times. For instance, we say, “kitni baar?” to ask “how many times”? Here, the word kitni means how many or how much. Next time, you want to remind someone of the previous meeting and refer to how much fun it was meeting last time, use this phrase, “pichli baar, it was so fun”. Or, you liked something from the last time but maybe not so much this time, you say, “pichli baar, acha tha” meaning “it was good last time”. You’d sound almost like a native, I bet. 😉
Plane Announcement in Urdu in Pakistan: Musaafir, tawujja fermaayen! Main aap ka kaptaan bol raha hoon. Pundra minute mein Karachi kay Jinnah international Airport per uternay waalay hain. Baraaye meherbaani, apnay hifaazati bundh ko mazbooti say baandhay rakhiyay.
This is a pro-Urdu sentence and before diving into what it means, recall the last time you were on a plane. What announcements did you hear? Let’s get to this one now.
Musaafir means a traveler or in this case, a passenger, which means referring to all those taking this plane to fly to Karachi. If you want to know more, musaafir originates from the word safer (read: suffer) meaning a journey, and so the word musaafir literally translates to a person who is on a journey. Beautiful, isn’t it?
Tawujja fermaayen means “please pay attention”. It’s a formal way to ask someone to listen to you. Since Urdu has its roots from the Pakistani culture, the language inherits different ways of communication in formal and informal settings. The word tawujja means “attention”.
Main aap ka kaptaan bol raha hoon. This sentence translates to “I am your captain speaking”. Main means I. Aap ka kaptaan means “your captain”. Please note that kaptaan has a soft sound of “t” as opposed to the sound of “t” used in the regular English word captain. Well, we have got both soft and regular “t” sounds in Urdu. Bol raha hoon means “am speaking” where the word bol raha directly translates to speaking, and hoon meaning “am” is a helping verb in Urdu which comes at the end of the sentence. The sentence structure in Urdu is different and the verb/helping verb comes at the end of the sentence.
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Pundra minute mein means “in 15 minutes”. In Urdu, we do not have prepositions. Instead, as you learn Urdu, you’d notice that the prepositions become the postpositions and they would be positioned at the end of the word/phrase. Just like that, mein meaning “in” is positioned after the pundra minute.
Karachi kay Jinnah International Airport per uternay waalay hain translates to “about to reach the Jinnah International Airport of Karachi”. Looking into the sentence, Karachi kay Jinnah International Airport means “Jinnah International Airport of Karachi” where kay translates to “of”. The word per translates to “at” and is used as a postposition (as mentioned above). The last part of this sentence is the verb i.e., uternay waalay hain which means, “about to land”. Uterna means to land or to get down or to get off or to climb down. Here, hain is the helping verb “are”. While we are at this, it’d be nice to know that Jinnah International Airport is the largest international airport in Pakistan, and the only airport in Karachi. If you’re looking to travel to Pakistan, this airport would be your gateway to Pakistan. 😉
Baraaye meherbaani is a formal way to say “please” in Urdu.
Try and imagine yourself on an airplane while landing. What things come to your mind? Apart from the sigh of relief on reaching your destination, landings mean safety checks. Apnay hifaazati bandh translates to “your safety seat belts”. Hifaazati derives from the root ‘hifz’, which means to safekeep or preserve. This root word along with physical safekeeping of persons can also be used to mean to ‘preserve in memory’. Poetic, isn’t it?
Mazbooti literally translates to strength but it also means tightly, in which context it is used here. Baandh li jiyay means ‘to tie’ in a formal and respectful manner.
The whole sentence means to “Please keep your safety seatbelts on”.
Taayi / Chaacha / Chaachi:
Taayi is an aunt in Urdu. Wait, wait, wait! It’s not that simple. Did you also hear the words chaacha and chaachi in that same scene? 😉 Let me explain! Since Urdu is born from the collectivistic culture, efforts and time has been spent in identifying each of the unique beautiful relations and naming them separately. So, taaya (adding for you), taayi, chaacha, and chaachi are all the relations from my dad’s side. My dad’s older brother is my taaya while my dad’s younger brother is my chaacha. Their wives, respectively, are taayi and chaachi. You recall your own taaya taayi or chaacha chaachi? How many do you have?
Churi:
Churi is a bangle in Urdu, commonly used for a glass bangle or a smaller bangle, the kind that Naani was wearing when she came to pick Kamala and Muneeba at the airport. The plural becomes churiyaan, and sometimes also called churis (like Kamala said).
Sirf keh rahi hoon:
This means “just saying” or “I am just saying”. The word sirf means “just” or “only”. If I want to say “I’m just saying”, I’d say this exact same sentence Sirf keh rahi hoon”. If I want to say “I’m saying”, just say keh rahi hoon which translates to “I’m saying”.
Chalo aao:
The word chalo is one of the most versatile words in Urdu. Chalo is said to someone to ask them to come with you, like in the series where Naani is asking Muneeba to come with her. Chalo is said at the start of the sentence to invite them to do something, such as chalo khaalo meaning “let’s eat”. Chalo is also said as an okay, such as, chalo, ab main jaati hoon (okay, I’ll go now). Here, the person is not asking you to come with you or do something with you, they just mean it as an okay. The word aao means (you) come and is said to someone younger or in an informal setting. Together, chalo aao means, come with me.
Aao under chaltay hain:
As mentioned above, aao means “come” when we ask someone to come. The word under means inside. Chaltay hain in this context means “let’s go”. Here, this sentence means, “come, let’s go inside”.
Chaltay hain also means we are going. So, either you ask someone to join you to go, you say chaltay hain. Interestingly, often times in conversational Urdu, we also say chalo, chaltay hain. This means, okay, let’s go. Often this is said when someone is leaving your house and they are nicely telling you that they are leaving now.
Chaliyay (pronounced: chali.yay):
Chaliyay is another version of chalen or chalo. All these words mean the same thing, except that these words are used in different settings. Chaliyay and chalen are used in formal settings and are used interchangeably. It’s also used in instances of respect such as when you talk to your parents or uncles or aunts. Chalo is used in informal settings. It’s also used in instances where you talk to your kids or friends or just someone younger than you. Notice that the naani uses the word chalo with her daughter, Muneeba, and Muneeba uses the word chaliyay with her mother.
Pasoori:
One of the most iconic Pakistani pop songs of Coke Studio Season 14, this song was featured on Spotify’s “Viral 50 – Global” and witnessed over 10 million views on YouTube in just 10 days. Did I convince you yet to listen to this one? It’s gold, trust me! Linking here to listen to this beautiful song that went viral around the world.
Paani Puri:
Paani Puri, also known as Gol Gappay, is one of the most loved and famous street food snacks in Pakistan. These are delicious and mouth-watering (just how I’m feeling as I am telling you). Let’s talk about what exactly Paani Puri is. Paani Puri snack has 2 elements. The main element is the hollow crispy ball of dough called Paani Puri ball, and the other element is the filling inside. The filling includes the solid filling and the liquid filling. The solid filling could be all kinds of different stuff such as boiled potatoes, onions, chickpeas, and the chutneys, often tamarind and mint chutney. If you like spicy, you sprinkle chilli powder and the traditional desi chaat masala on top, and it’s got all the mix flavors. You can choose to put all these fillings in your Paani Puri ball, or a few as per your choice. The last thing is the liquid filling. This is the liquid that tastes sour and spicy both! You pour the liquid into the Paani Puri ball and keep the entire crispy ball into your mouth. Divine! Disclaimer, sometimes eating Paani Puri becomes messy since eating the stuffed crispy ball all at once is an art that you definitely could master with practice of filling your mouths with this delicious snack.
I got to admit, this is by far my favorite street food snack from Pakistan. And the best one is found in Karachi (I’m also being biased here, as a Karachiite myself hahaha).
Kurti lelou, Kurti lelou:
Kurti is referring to the very common dress in Pakistan which is a long (often straight) shirt. The word kurti is used for the long shirt worn by females while the word kurta is used for the long shirt worn by males. The word lelou means “take it” and in this context, it also means “purchase it” as the salesperson is trying to convince Kamala to purchase a kurti from him.
Paanch Saw Rupiyay:
Paanch means five and saw means hundred. Together, paanch saw means 500. Rupiyay (singular: rupiya) in Urdu and Rupees in English is the national currency of Pakistan. To give an idea how much that is, Rs. 200 equals US$ 1. This kurti is just US$ 2.5. Amazing, isn’t it?
Teen hundred:
Teen means three in Urdu.
Acha hai:
You say this when you like something. Acha hai simply translates to “it is good”. Very versatile and very simple and native way to appreciate someone or something.
Desi:
The word desi is used for all South Asian community that includes people from India, Pakistan, and sometimes, Bangladeshi too.
Musaafir, mutawajja hon! Karachi Railway Station per khush-aamdeed (announcement at the train station):
Musaafir is a traveler or a passenger. Mutawajja hon is to ask to listen or pay attention. It’s similar to tawajja fermaaen, just different ways of saying it. 😉
Karachi Railway Station per khush-aamdeed means welcome to the Karachi Railway Station which is the Karachi Train Station. Khush-aamdeed means welcome and is often used in formal settings or to warmly welcome someone.
Oye, kon ho tum?
Oye is a slang for “hey” in Urdu. The word kon means “who” and tum means you (informal). The sentence means, “hey, who are you?”
Disco Deewanay:
One of the Pakistan’s oldest songs from the early 80’s by a famous Pakistani pop singer, Nadia Hassan. You must listen to it if you wish to relive some golden music era of the Pakistani industry.
Kaisay ho?
Kaisay ho is an informal or casual way to ask “how are you”. This is used among friends or any casual settings. Wait, it’s not that simple. Kaisay ho is used to ask males or a mixed group and while asking females, “kaisi ho” is used.
Try kero
This one is pretty straightforward. It really means encouraging someone to try something and if we’re talking about biryani in Karachi, then I will be definitely saying “Try kero!”
Baby Oh Baby Song:
This is another old song by a famous Pakistani singer, Sajjad Ali. Let’s see what the beautiful lyrics mean:
Kisi kay kehnay pay na aana, (Don’t fall for what others say)
Main he tou hoon tera deewaana, (I’m the only one who is your lover)
Saaray Jahan ko hai bataana, (Let’s tell everyone)
baby, baby o baby,
teri merzi naheen chulni (we don’t follow others’ wishes)
Laung gawacha
A classic song from the 80s, it was very popular in Pakistan in our parent’s time, which is why it seems like Kamala’s ammi is jamming to it while cleaning! 😀
From Punjabi, Laung gawacha literally translates to ‘lost my nose pin’. Now you might be thinking who would write a song about that and why. Allow me to explain the essence of this Punjabi hit. The singer is talking to her lover, who she knows is trailing after her even though he doesn’t want to talk, so she’s basically asking him, as he follows behind, to look out for her nose pin which she has conveniently lost. Pretty complicated, don’t you think? Anyway, what’s uncomplicated is the absolute head-banging ability of Quratulain Baloch’s version of this song. Do listen to it!
Bethiyay! Arey, zara bethiyay na!:
Bethiyay means “sit down” in an extremely respectful manner. If I’m asking someone I deeply love to sit down, I’d say bethiyay. The expression arey is a versatile expression and is used in awe, in anger, in surprise, or in irritation or frustration. It’s just added at the start of the sentence and depending on the context that follows and the tone with which it’s said, it changes the meaning. zara means little bit or for a while. In this context, it’s used with zara bethiyay na, meaning please sit for a while. Just like arey, na is an expression word added at the end of the sentence whenever we would like to insist on something, along with adding a pinch of respect. Often, kids would insist to their parents or uncle aunts by adding na at the end of each sentence.
Ye kiya hogaya:
Ye is a pronoun which is used to indicate someone or something closer to the speaker. It can be meant as this or these, both in singular and plural contexts as well as living and non-living subjects. Kiya is a question prompt meaning ‘what’. The word hogaya is derived from the verb hona, the infinitive form of happen, meaning “to happen”. Therefore, hogaya refers to “have/has happened”.
Putting the words together, ye kiya hogaya means ‘What happened here?’ (Ye is translated to “here” within the indicative context of the sentence.)
Aray:
Aray is a versatile word in Urdu. It can be used to express surprise, disappointment, joy, annoyance and so much more depending on the context.
You see your friend after a long time? Aray tum! (Hey, it’s you!)
You break your mother’s favorite teacup? Aray!
You insist that your friend stays for dinner? Aray ruko na! (Please stay!)
All in all, it’s one of those words that are beautiful and give words to our emotions.
Dard hai?:
The word dard means pain. As you must have already known by now, hai translates to “is”. This short sentence translates to “Do you have pain?” This sentence can also mean “I have pain.”. The context of the conversation and your tone tell whether it’s a statement or a question.
Ye massage hai?:
Here is something interesting you should know. Many Pakistanis can speak English or a basic level of English due to a hundred years of British rule in the past. Even now, English is taught in schools in Pakistan from a very young age with the same vigor as Urdu. So, you’d find a 5 yo Pakistani child familiar with English already. Back to this sentence, ye massage hai translates to “is this a massage?” or, “you call this a massage?”. I’m assuming you are already familiar with ye and hai as we have talked about it earlier in this blog post.
Kiya:
Kiya is a question prompt meaning ‘what’
Naheen:
Naheen means “no” and when pronounced by a fluent Urdu speaker, you’d hear this word as “naee”. You must know that both words are the same and mean the same thing.
Ye bilkul ghalat hai. Bilkul sahee hai.
Bilkul means completely or totally. You might know of the Urdu word kul which translates as ‘total’. Bilkul is a derivative and implies the completeness or wholeness of something. If you want to say no to something completely, you say bilkul naheen! or if you want to agree with someone, you might say bilkul, just like you would say ‘totally!’.
Aye, pagal hai kia?
Pagal is the PG-rated swear word of Urdu, which means crazy or stupid. You can hear siblings calling each other pagal very frequently or like in the episode, when someone tries to navigate Karachi traffic, they’re sure to hear a few ‘pagals’ here and there. The word aye is an expression used to grab attention and is often used to express frustration, anger, or irritation. So, pagal hai kia? translates to “are you crazy?”
Bismillah:
Although this is Arabic, it is commonly used by Pakistani Muslims when starting something new. Muslims recite this as a prayer or an invocation, meaning ‘in the name of Allah’. We’re hoping what we’re about to do goes well. In simpler words, ‘Bismillah’ is the Islamic equivalent (more or less) of fingers crossed.
Aye, kon hai?
The word kon means “who”. Kon is also used to ask who is speaking on the phone or when someone rings the doorbell. Aye, kon hai? translates to “Who’s there?”.
Mujhay tumhaari bohut yaad aayegi. Mujhay bhi.
Mujhay tumhari buhut yaad aaye gi translates to “I will miss you a lot”. Although yaad is primarily used to mean ‘memory or remember’, yaad aayegi is specifically to miss someone. You can say this when saying goodbye to someone you will not meet for quite a while and the logical reply most people would give is “me too’ or Mujhay bhi.
Beta, ye kuch raqam hai, ye aap kay kaam aayegi, meray beta. Rakh lo. Beta juldi say gaari mein betho. Gaari chul rahi hai.
Beta is a repeated word throughout the series and is used as a term of endearment.
Ye, as previously explained, means to indicate something or in this context translates to ‘here’. Kuch means some and raqam is cash/money. Ye kuch raqam hai translates to ‘Here is some money’. But the word raqam is used very formally and not commonly used in colloquial terms. The common word for it is pesa/pesay.
Ye aap kay kaam aaye gi means “You will need it/It will be of use to you”. Although this is not a word to word translation, the gist remains the same. Breaking this sentence into words or phrases, let’s see what they mean. Kaam means work or use. Aaye ga is used in combination with kaam to mean that something will be of use. You can say “Ye mere kaam aaye ga” about a person as well and it would mean (in the future tense) that ‘that person’ would be of use to you or will be helpful.
Although rakh lo is an imperative, it’s more of a request or an imploration. It means “keep it” in an informal manner.
In Pakistani culture, there is a widespread habit of not accepting gifts or help from anyone. The right and proper custom is to keep saying Naheen, naheen, naheen a million times before they actually take whatever they are being offered. And on a more serious note, sometimes people help each other in financial need and with the aid they offer, they can say Rakhlo. Juldi can mean ‘hurry up’ or ‘fast’. But combined with say, the phrase means ‘quickly’. Gaari mein betho translates ‘sit in the car, but as explained above betho generally means telling someone to sit.
Humaaray paas train mein jaga hoye ga? Aaj shaam ki aakhri train hai. Humen koshish kerni hogi.
Humaray paas means ‘with us, by us, for us’ depending on the context. Jagah means space or place. And hoye ga means ‘will be’. Together, this means “Will we get space in the train?”
One interesting thing I would like to add is that although the word hoye ga is used in the episode, it is not grammatically correct or simply said, not a part of formal Urdu. In grammatically correct Urdu, the sentence would be Humaray pas train me jagah hogi? where the noun jagah is feminine. This feminine nature of this noun is represented by the -i sound in the verb; hogi instead hoga and the correct form of hona is used. Hoye ga is colloquial and used commonly in some dialects of Pakistan and India, primarily influenced by Hindi.
Aaj on its own translates to ‘today’. But if used with another time of the day, it means that time of day specifically for the present day. For example, here it’s said aaj sham which means ‘this evening’ or in some contexts shaam (translation: evening) also means ‘night’. So, here aaj sham can also mean ‘tonight’. Ki is a possessive and aakhri means ‘last’. Therefore, Aaj shaam ki aakhri train hai means ‘This is tonight’s last train’.
Humen indicates another possessive and means ‘we’. Koshish means ‘try’ which is also a feminine noun in Urdu and as explained previously, with it we say ‘hogi’. Humen koshish kerni hogi means ‘We have to try’.
Ms. Marvel Episode 5: Meaning of Urdu Words
SONG: Tu mera chaand, main teri chaandni. Main tera raag, tu meri raagni.
Released originally 2 years after Partition, this song is a classic song by Shyam and Suraiya. Let’s break it down.
Tu means ‘you’ in a highly informal setting. While addressing very close friends, using tu would be fine, but addressing someone older or in a formal setting, it is considered extremely impolite and even, rude. In some places of India, it is considered acceptable. Tu is often used in poetry and lyrics, just like here, to address a very dear one. Mera chaand translates to ‘my moon’. Moon of my life, ring a bell anyone? Tu mera chaand means “you are my moon”.
From the word, tu (meaning: you), we get teri which means ‘your’. Main teri chaandni means ‘I am your moonlight’; where chaandni is clearly derived from chaand and the addition of “ni” at the end of the word makes it feminine.
Speaking of the pronouns, tu and teri, let’s look at “I” and “my” which translate to main and mera respectively. Raag translates to melody or music. Derived from it, comes raagni, that can be translated to “a song”. Therefore, main tera raag, tu meri raagni means “I am your melody, you are my song”.
This beautiful song goes like:
“You are my moon, I am your moonlight. I am your melody, you are my song.”
We find it so melodious. It’s such a beautiful way of declaring love and connection. What do you think?
Ager Hindustan kay Musalmaan, Hindu, aur Sikh, angrez raaj ka khaatma chahtay hain tou sirf isliyay kay unko azaadi chahiyay. Fasaad berpa kiyay bagher. Amun say. Laykin humaaray is pur-amun rawaiyyay ko humaari kumzori na sumjhiyay. Mahatma Gandhi nay kaha hai kay wo waqt aachuka hai kay hum kuch ker guzren. Ager humen larna para, tou hum larengay! Chaahay humen mout hee kiyoon na aajaye. Ye dherti humaari hai. Iss dherti ko huzaaron saal say apna khoon detay aaye hain hum.
Let’s break this speech down into its parts.
Ager means ‘if’ and just as we start a sentence with ‘if’ in English, we do the same in Urdu with ager.
Hindustan kay Musalmaan, Hindu, aur Sikh means ‘the Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs of India’. Hindustan is the Hindi/Urdu name for India. Musalmaan, Hindu, and Sikh are all plural forms of ‘Muslim, Hindu and Sikh’. The Urdu word kay is a postposition used to show possession (similar to: of).
Angrez in Urdu is used for anything that is remotely English or British and all of us have heard of British Raaj meaning ‘British rule’. Khaatma is derived from khatam, both of which mean ‘end’. ‘To want’ can be translated as chaahna. Therefore, chahtay, chaahiyay, chaahay are all the words used in this speech by Fawad Khan, but all of them are different forms of the same word (and thus have slightly different meanings).
Chahtay (the verb with the suffix -ay) is used for plural subjects, as here it is used with Musalmaan, Hindu and Sikh. Sirf is liyay can mean ‘only because’. Bus is also used in place of sirf (explained earlier) but to mean ‘only’. In Unko azaadi chahiyay, Unko means ‘they’, azaadi means ‘freedom’, and chahiyay (same verb again) means ‘want’.
So, the first sentence translates to, ‘If Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs want an end to the British Raaj, it’s only because they want freedom.’
Fasaad can mean ‘riot’ or ‘chaos’ but its connotation is always negative. Barpa is a word that means ‘cause’ and is generally used with fasaad. Baghair means ‘without’. This sentence translates to ‘without causing any riots’. Notice how it’s not a complete sentence, more like a continuation of the first one. And in the same vein, he says Aman say meaning ‘With peace’.
If you feel there is a ‘but’ coming, there sure is, in the form of lekin. Again, we have humaray. After that there is the word pur-aman. Pur is used as a prefix in translation of the English suffix ‘-ful’. Pur-aman means ‘peaceful’. Ruwaiyya translates to ‘behaviour’. Humaari kamzori means ‘our weakness’. Notice the -i in humaari, which makes the word ‘our’ feminine. It’s because kamzori is a feminine noun. Kam means less and zori means strength; therefore, kamzori is literally ‘less in strength’.
Na samjhiyay means ‘don’t mistake it for’. Although samjhiyay can literally be translated to ‘understand’, here in this context, and being used in combination with na, it means something else. Thus, the fourth sentence says, ‘But our peaceful behavior shouldn’t be mistaken for our weakness.’
Have you noticed how Urdu sentences mostly end with verbs?
The next sentence quotes Mahatma Gandhi. It translates to, ‘Mahatma Gandhi has said that the time has come when we do something!’ Here, wo waqt means ‘the time’, since we’re referring to a specific time. Aa chuka hai means ‘has come’. One can also say aagaya hai.
The sentence ends with, Kay hum kuch kar guzrain which translates to ‘when we do something’. Now, karna is a verb meaning ‘to do’, but used with guzrain, the impact of what you’re about to do is enhanced, so it usually refers to doing something impossible or unthinkable. For example, if somebody dares you to jump off a cliff and you accept the challenge, you can easily say, Main ye kar guzrun ga! (I will do it!)
Moving on to the next sentence, Agar, as mentioned earlier, means ‘if’, humein and hum both translate to ‘we’, larna means ‘to fight’ with larey gay being one form of this verb meaning ‘will fight’. Tou simply means ‘so’, and para is used when we have to do something. Therefore, Hasan challenges here that, ‘If we have to fight, so we will fight!’
The next sentence is essentially a continuation of the previous one. You might recognise Chaahay from previous sentences, but here it means something totally different. Here, it becomes an imaginative word that translates to ‘even if’. And since the Urdu word for death is mout, mout aana/hona are used to express the ‘coming/happening’ of death. So, essentially, this sentence means, ‘Even if death comes’.
As I explained previously, ye is an indicator to mean ‘this’. And then the beauty of the Urdu language jumps out where we have multiple ways of saying country or land. The soft-sounding word dherti is one of them. Ye dherti humaari hai beautifully translates to ‘this land is ours’.
Finally, reaching the end of the speech, we see that Iss dherti ko translates to ‘this land’. Huzaar means (the number) ‘thousand’ and huzaaron is its plural (meaning: thousands). Huzaaron saal say can be translated to ‘for thousands of years’. Apna khoon detay aye hain would literally mean ‘have given our blood’ (khoon means ‘blood’). All in all, this sentence expresses that, ‘We have shed our blood for this land for thousands of years’.
Hum lay ker rahengay. Azaadi!
A few of these words have already been talked about. What’s new in this sentence is the word lay. It’s a form of the verb layna meaning ‘to take’. Simply put, this sentence would translate to ‘We will take our freedom!’ but the story doesn’t end here. Why is kar rahen gay added to the sentence? Does it add to the meaning? Yes, it lends strength and determination to the essence of the sentence, suggesting that ‘No matter what, we will take our freedom!’
Now, if someone is talking about taking his medicine, he will simply say, ‘Main dawaai lunga’ (dawaai means medicine). But if he says, ‘Main lay kar rahunga dawaai’ , the entire connotation of the sentence is changed. You might wonder, who’s stopping this guy from taking his medicine? Why’s he so determined and passionate about it all of sudden? 🙂 Thus, lay kar rahengay enhances the magnitude of the claim to express how people literally had to fight for their lives. They wanted their freedom, and they were going to take it, no matter what!
Zara zor say bolo.
Zara has been explained above.
And do you remember we talked about kamzor above as well? Well here we can only see zor. Connecting the dots, we can correctly infer that zor means strength. And bolo means to say/to speak.
Zara zor say bolo just means ‘Say it/speak loudly/louder!’
Paratha
You can’t see me while I type but a little sigh escaped my lips at the mention of paratha. Oh how I would sell my left kidney even to eat my ammi’s paratha again. But sadly, expat life forces you to make your own parathas which never taste like home. Paratha is basically a thin fried piece of flatbread, made by hand kneading the dough and then rolling it out into a circle. Sometimes, the recipe is enhanced by adding layers or fillings to the paratha. Examples of these recipes are lachha paratha (paratha with multiple visible layers), aloo ka paratha (paratha filled with boiled and spiced potatoes), or qeema bhara paratha (paratha filled with minced meat), etc. The list can go on and on. You can add any type of filling to your paratha. People even eat Nutella paratha! And the best part? Parathas go with everything. For breakfast, with tea and eggs, for lunch with curries and lentils, and for dinner with any other dish imaginable. I will stop before it starts sounding like a love note to paratha. 😀
Aa jaa ray nindiya … Tu aa kiyoon na jaa .. Nindiyaa ray nindiyaa … Tu aa kiyoon na jaa … Nunhi si aankhon mein, ghul mil jaa… Aa jaa ray nindiya …
Music has been an integral part of this series. I especially love how accurate representations of time-honored classics are subtly woven in the episodes. Take this lullaby for instance. It was sung by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar.
Aa ja ray simply translates to ‘come on’. The interesting word here is nindiya. Nindiya is the lyrical version of neend (meaning ‘sleep’). In this lullaby, the singer is in dialogue with sleep itself. By saying aa jaa ray nindiya, the singer calls to sleep, asking it to come. Perhaps sleep refuses to come because the song continues with tu aa kyun na jaa (meaning ‘Why won’t you come?’)
Nunhi means ‘small’ or ‘little’, and, being a feminine adjective, it is used with feminine nouns. Here, nunhi is used to describe aankhon (meaning ‘eyes’). Ghul mil jana is a common phrase in Urdu; it means to mingle. Here, it can also be understood as meaning ‘dissolve’. Thus, Nunhi si aankhon mein, ghul mil jaa translates to, ‘[Sleep,] dissolve into these little eyes’. How poetic, right?
By the way, ghul mil jana can also be used in the context of people mingling or socializing. For example, for someone who mingles easily with people, we can say, wo logon me juldi ghul mil jata hai.
Doodh aur subzi chalay gi?
Chalna is the infinitive form of the verb which means ‘to go’. It can either mean to literally go somewhere or to figure out if something is okay with someone/something. Here, it’s being used as the latter. The person asks if doodh aur subzi are okay with Aisha or if she wants something else as well. Doodh means milk, aur means and, and subzi means vegetables, so this sentence translates to ‘Are milk and vegetables okay?’
Shukriya bhai. Aaj market mein…
Shukriya is probably one of the first words you learn in Urdu. It simply means ‘thanks’ or ‘thank you’.
Bhai is the Urdu word for brother. But what’s interesting is that in Pakistan and India, bhai isn’t something you would just use to refer to your brother. It’s an interchangeable term of endearment and affection. So, it’s quite common for people to call each other bhai, sometimes even women!
Shukriya kaisa?
Kaisa means ‘how’, but if we literally translate this sentence, it will become ‘thanks how?’ which makes no sense. To understand this question contextually, we need to see why it’s being said. The person is basically inquiring why they’re being thanked. So, it translates to, ‘How can you say thanks?’
Iss say kaho apni khayraat apnay paas rakhay.
As we already discussed, iss is an indicative word meaning ‘this’. However, it’s not only used to refer to objects, but people as well. So, iss can also be indicative in the same way ‘him’ and ‘her’ are in English. Kaho, interchangeably used with the word bolo, means ‘say’. Iss say kaho can, thus, be translated to ‘tell him’. Apni khayraat means ‘his charity’. Apnay pas rakhay means ‘to keep it to himself’. All together, the sentence says, ‘Tell him to keep his charity to himself.’
By the way, did you notice that the verb is at the end of the sentence again?
Tum paagal ho gaye ho? Arey, tum hee kehtay thay hum ek hain. Aur ab? Tum hee angrezon kay haath mein khel rahay ho.
In Urdu, there are two words for ‘you’ – the formal aap and the informal tum (the latter being used here). As mentioned earlier, paagal means ‘crazy’ or ‘stupid’. Arey is a commonly-used versatile expression that has been discussed earlier. You already know that kaho means ‘say’; the infinitive form of this verb is kehna. Kehtay thay, thus, translates to ‘used to say’. Ek is the word for the number ‘one’. Ab means ‘now’ and haath is the word for hand. Khel rahay ho is the present continuous form of the verb khelna (meaning ‘to play’). So, together this entire exclamation translates to, ‘Are you crazy? You used to say that we are one. And now? You are playing into the hands of the British.’
Ye sub tumharay liyay asaan hai kehna. Tumhen tumhaaray ghar say kisi nay naheen nikaala. Phas tou main gaya hoon. Na koi mujh say phool khareednay ko tayyaar hai, aur na hee koi meri biwi ko doodh bechnay ko tayyaar hai. Kiyoon? Kiyoonkay main musalmaan hoon?
Sub can be used to refer to people, things, or even situations. It can mean ‘everyone’, but in this context, coupled with ye, it means ‘all of this’. Asaan means ‘easy’ and ghar means ‘house’. There are multiple verbs here. Kehna means ‘to say’, nikaala can be translated to ‘kick out’ or ‘forcefully evict’, phas refers to being trapped or stuck in something or in a situation, and finally, khareednay and bechnay both refer to buying and selling, respectively. Phool is Urdu for ‘flowers’.
Kiyoon and kiyoonkay both sound similar, but have different, albeit related meanings: kiyoon means ‘why’ and kiyoonkay means ‘because’. Tayyaar refers to being ready, prepared, or even willing. Biwi means ‘wife’, and doodh is the word for ‘milk’. And as you might already know, musalmaan is the Urdu word for ‘muslim’.
Therefore, this entire dialogue translates to, ‘All of this is easy for you to say. Nobody has kicked you out of your house. I’m the one who’s stuck. Neither is anyone ready to buy flowers from me, nor is anyone willing to sell milk to my wife. Why? Because I’m a Muslim?’
Maaf kerna bhaiyya. Bura na maanna. Parayshaan hain.
Aisha’s folded hands and apologetic expression may already have given away the meaning of these words. Yes, she’s apologizing. Maafi is the word for ‘forgiveness’ in Urdu, and maaf kerna means ‘to forgive’. This sentence is continued with bura na maanna, translating to ‘don’t mind’. Parayshaan can means ‘worried’, ‘distressed’ or ‘disturbed’.
Bhaiyya comes from bhai, the word for brother (but used for pretty much anyone), so both can be used interchangeably. Overall, these three small sentences translate to, ‘Forgive him, brother. Don’t mind. He’s worried.’
Koi baat naheen. Sub log dar gaye hain. Ye waqt bhi nikal jaaye ga.
Koi generally means ‘any’. Naheen is used to say ‘no’, ‘not’, or basically express any sort of negation. Baat can be used to refer to a matter, news, or something someone said. This word is quite versatile. If you say, mujhay baat kerni hai, it means ‘I want to talk’. Or, if someone asks, kia baat hai? They are inquiring, ‘what’s the matter?’ In this context, koi baat naheen can be translated to, ‘no problem’ or ‘it’s okay’. It’s something usually said after accepting an apology.
Sub is said in reference to people here which becomes quite clear with the addition of the word log (literally meaning ‘people’). Dar, as a noun, means ‘fear’. Dar gaye hain is the verb form and it translates to ‘have become scared’. Waqt is the word for ‘time’. Nikalna is the infinitive form of the verb that mostly means ‘to leave’, but here, it is in the context of ‘passing’. Thus, all in all, the translation would be, ‘No problem. Everyone has become scared. This time, too, shall pass.’
Platform one pay train tayyaar hai jaanay kay liyay.
Pay is a preposition meaning ‘on’. Tayyaar, as discussed earlier, means ‘ready’, ‘prepared’. Jaanay is a form of the verb jaana which means ‘to go’. However, here, it’s used in the context of a train, so a more appropriate translation for it would be ‘departure’. Kay liyay are postposition meaning ‘for’. Overall, the sentence translates to, ‘The train is ready for departure on platform one.’
Aa jaao meray saath.
Aa jaao means ‘come’. Meray saath would transkate to ‘with me’. So, it says, ‘Come with me.’
Bacha
Bacha means child. Unlike its feminine counterpart bachi, bacha can be used to refer to both a male or female child, same as beta. While not as widely used as beta, this word still carries with itself the sense of warmth and elderly affection that comes with beta. But make sure you only use it for those younger than you!
Platform one, train jaanay waali hai.
Here, the verb jaana (‘to go’ or ‘to leave’) to used in the future tense. Waala, waali, or waalay are words used when referring to something that is about to happen. Hence, the announcement translates to, ‘Platform one, the train is about to leave.’
Kahaan ho?
Kahaan is a question word meaning ‘where’, and the question here simply translates to, ‘Where are you?’ Notice that if literally translated, this question would mean ‘where are’ which doesn’t make sense. However, in Urdu, the subject ‘you’ is sometimes omitted in commands or questions. This rule is shared by the English language as well. For example, when you say, ‘come here’, you needn’t include ‘you’, even though it’s understood that the sentence actually, grammatically means, ‘you come here’. Isn’t it fascinating how different languages often overlap, not just in their vocabulary, but with their grammar too?
Train kay saaray dabbay bhar chukay hain.
Kay is a preposition meaning ‘of’. Saaray means ‘all’ and dabbay is plural for the word dabba (meaning ‘box’). Here, train kay dabbay is used in reference to the train compartments, not any literal boxes. Bharna is the infintive form of the verb which means ‘to fill up’. Thus, the announcement exclaims that, ‘All train compartments are full.’
Chaltay rahiyay
The verb chalna has been discussed above. Here, it is used in the context of ‘moving’. The phrase translates to, ‘keep moving’.
Bhaiyya, aap nay abhi ek choti si bachi ko dekha hai?
Bhaiyya means ‘brother’, as mentioned earlier. Choti si bachi literally means ‘small (female) child’, but it can also translate to ‘little girl’. Dekhna is the infinitive form of the verb meaning ‘to see’. The question translates to, ‘Brother, have you just seen a little girl?’
Naana Abbu
When we say naana, we mean our ammi’s abbu (‘mother’s father’ or ‘maternal grandfather’). Although naana is used on its own too, the addition of abbu just adds another layer of warmth and affection to the term because, of course, our mother’s father is also like a father to us, right? It can also be used to refer to your great-grandfather, just like Kamala uses it to refer to Hasan.
Bhai, aap nay ek choti si bachi ko kaheen dekha hai?
This question isn’t much different from Hasan’s previous one, so the meaning is quite similar. The only difference is the word kaheen meaning ‘anywhere’. Thus, it translates to, ‘Brother, have you seen a small child anywhere?’
Tum kahaan thi?
Unlike the previous question kahaan ho, this one does mention the subject. So, you see, it’s really up to you if you’d like to mention it or not when asking a question or making a command. Anyway, the question translates to, ‘where were you?’
Munni (Naani used for Muneeba)
This cute word, Munni, is used to refer to a ‘baby girl’. It can also be, as you’ll notice, short for Muneeba. So, parents can affectionately call their daughters Munni. Thus, this is Nani’s sweet nickname for her daughter.
Ammi, aesi koi baat naheen hai.
Aesi can be used to make a reference to something. For example, here, it is being used to make a reference to the baat Naani is saying. It can be translated using the indicator ‘like that’. Baat can be a ‘matter’, ‘news’, or anything anyone suggests or talks about. Here, we just use it to mean ‘thing’ (in ‘nothing’) when we simply translate this sentence to, ‘Mom, it’s nothing like that.’
Tu Jhoom (Song)
Tu Jhoom is Coke Studio’s song released this year in their fourteenth season. With its soulful melody, it carries a spiritually enlightening message. Tu is a very informal way of saying ‘you’ in Urdu, and jhoom comes from the verb jhoomna which has meanings of ‘to swirl’ or ‘to sway’. Thus, it would literally translate to ‘you swirl’, but in the context of the song, the idea of swirling refers to the act of letting go. There is, however, a lot more to this beautiful song. If you’re interested in learning more, make sure to check out our interpretation of the lyrics here.
Ms. Marvel Episode 6: Meaning of Urdu Words
Cpt. Space (Song)
Another Pakistani song, this time by the indie band Janoobi Khargosh, opens Ms. Marvel’s season finale. While the song isn’t as widely popular as the Coke Studio hits you’ve heard so far, it still has a catchy tune, and you’re sure to love it! You can listen to this fun soundtrack here.
Tauba
Now, this is once again one of those versatile words that really express the speaker’s emotion. While tauba literally means repentance, that’s not the context it’s usually used in. If your Pakistani friend suddenly exclaims tauba, it’s not because they’re asking you to repent. No, they’re either being sarcastic, expressing their dislike of something or are just totally shocked or surprised. I know it sounds a little confusing, but their tone and facial expression will help you make sense of the context they say the word in. For example, if you tell your Pakistani friend that you missed homework because you were playing video games, and they exclaim tauba while shaking their head at you, well, it’s clear they’re a tad bit disappointed in your life choices.
However, this is not to say that tauba is never used literally. The verb tauba kerna, meaning ‘to repent’, is used quite often when people are referring to asking forgiveness from God.
Hadippa
A catchy Punjabi tune, this song is a collaboration between Pritam and DJ Hot Americano. You can listen to (and perhaps dance along) to a remix version of this song here.
Ya Allah
Literally translating to ‘Oh God’, ya Allah is a Muslim’s call to God. But, think about the English ‘oh my God’ (or OMG, as most people say it nowadays). Ya Allah is an exclamation and a sudden expression of emotion just like OMG is. You would find Pakistanis saying ya Allah if they want to express shock, surprise, frustration, sadness, or even awe and happiness. For example, if you’re at a Pakistani American friend’s house and they accidentally break their mother’s china teacup, you might hear her exclaiming Ya Allah! Or if you show your new bracelet to a Pakistani coworker, they might say, Ya Allah, this is beautiful!
With that being said, the religious connotation remains, and Muslims often begin with ya Allah while praying to their Lord.
Kamal
This one was explained by Kamala’s father already. How fascinating is it to know that Kamala literally is Ms. Marvel! Her name derives from the word kamal meaning ‘wonder’ or ‘marvel’ in Urdu. Well, all I can say is, Kia kamal ki baat ki hai, Abbu! (What a marvelous thing you’ve said, Abbu!)
Shawarma
Did you catch that Mean Girls’ reference right there? Well, that was Nakia’s South Asian take on it. Shawarma is a popular street food, not just in Pakistan, but in many other countries such as Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, etc. And it’s cooked in an interesting way! Pieces of chicken or mutton (or other types of meat) are stacked to form the shape of a cone. This is roasted on a rotating spit, and cut off and served, wrapped in bread, and topped with lots of condiments or veggies. Yum!
Aavegi (Song)
Ms. Marvel just came to an end, that too with this amazing song. While this is one of the show’s original soundtracks, the singer Ritviz is an uber-talented musician from Bihar, India. I guess now you’ll have to admit that South Asian music is one of the best in the world!
You can enjoy the full song here, and bid farewell to Ms. Marvel. For now at least – because as they said, Ms. Marvel will return in The Marvels!
End note, finally!
The excitement at Ms. Marvel for us Pakistani Americans is not because it shows the Pakistani culture in its entirety (it doesn’t). We are excited because, through Ms. Marvel, the media started correcting the course on the stereotypic view of the Pakistani culture. It will pave the way for more people to be curious about our community and the different ways we interact with each other. Most importantly, it has shown Pakistani Americans not as a segment aloof from the society, but as a normal part of it. A part that embraces its uniqueness while assimilating with the broader culture, making the world a little more colorful.
