ਧੀ

What does dhee mean in Punjabi?

Dhee (ਧੀ) means daughter in Punjabi: a female child in relation to her parents. It is one of the core family words, used when a parent talks about their own daughter and when others refer to her place in the family. A related form, putri (ਪੁਤਰੀ), also means daughter, but dhee is the word of everyday home speech.

Dhee at home and in family talk

In a Punjabi home, dhee is heard in the simplest daily sentences: asking how a daughter is, where she studies, or when she is coming home. Parents introduce her with pride, as in meri dhee, my daughter, and elders often address a young girl of the family affectionately as dhee even in a general sense of care.

The word sits at the centre of family life because Punjabi kinship is spoken precisely. Knowing that someone is a dhee tells you her relation at once, without needing a longer explanation. That is also why the word appears so often in family introductions at gatherings, where each person is placed in relation to parents, grandparents and siblings.

Related family words

Dhee belongs with a small set of everyday relations. Her parents are her maape, her brother in relation to the same parents is a puttar if he is a son, and the wider household is her parivar. A daughter of a son is a poti, and a daughter of a daughter has her own place in the same family vocabulary. Learning dhee together with these words makes family talk much easier to follow.

Is dhee the same as putri?

Yes, in meaning. Dhee and putri both mean daughter, but dhee is the common everyday word at home, while putri sounds a little more formal and is seen more in written or careful speech.

How do you say daughter in Punjabi?

Daughter in Punjabi is dhee (ਧੀ). You can say meri dhee for my daughter, and tuhadi dhee for your daughter when speaking politely to someone else.

How is dhee used in a sentence?

You can say: ਮੇਰੀ ਧੀ ਸਕੂਲ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ, which means my daughter goes to school. More examples are given below on this page.