Punjabi words in boliyan and what they mean

Boliyan come from village life, and they are full of words that a city child, or a Punjabi family settled far from Punjab, may never have heard at home: the banera where the crow sits, the trinjan where girls once spun together, the nanke who arrive with the wedding gifts. A boli can be sung without knowing them, but it cannot be felt. This page explains the words that return again and again, in four groups.

Each word is given in Gurmukhi and in Roman letters, with a plain explanation. The Roman spelling is only a reading aid; the same word is written in several ways in English, so "veer", "vir" and "veera" are all the same brother. Meanings are given as they are used in folk songs, and a word may be used a little differently in different parts of Punjab.

Family and relations

Word	Roman	Meaning
ਵੀਰ	veer, veera	Brother. The word a sister uses with affection; the hero of countless boliyan.
ਭਾਬੀ	bhabi	Brother's wife.
ਬੇਬੇ, ਬਾਪੂ	bebe, baapu	Mother (or grandmother) and father, in the homely village words.
ਨਾਨਕੇ	naanke	The mother's family, and their village or home.
ਦਾਦਕੇ	daadke	The father's family.
ਪੇਕੇ	peke	A married woman's parents' home.
ਸਹੁਰੇ	sahure	A married woman's in-laws' home.
ਮਾਮਾ, ਮਾਮੀ	maama, maami	Mother's brother and his wife.
ਮਾਸੀ	maasi	Mother's sister.
ਭੂਆ	bhua	Father's sister.
ਚਾਚਾ, ਤਾਇਆ	chaacha, taaya	Father's younger brother and father's elder brother.
ਸੱਸ, ਸਹੁਰਾ	sass, sahura	Mother-in-law and father-in-law.
ਨਣਾਨ	nanaan	Husband's sister.
ਦਿਓਰ, ਜੇਠ	deor, jeth	Husband's younger brother and husband's elder brother.
ਦੋਹਤਾ, ਭਾਣਜਾ	dohta, bhaanja	Daughter's son; sister's son.
ਮਾਹੀ, ਢੋਲ, ਚੰਨ	maahi, dhol, chann	Words for the beloved or husband in songs. "Chann" is literally the moon; "dhol" also means the big drum.

The wedding

Word	Roman	Meaning
ਲਾੜਾ, ਲਾੜੀ	laada, laadi	Groom and bride.
ਮੇਲ, ਮੇਲਣ	mel, melan	The party of relatives who come to a wedding; a woman guest of that party.
ਨਾਨਕੀ ਸ਼ੱਕ	naanki shakk	The gifts brought to a wedding by the mother's family.
ਵਟਣਾ	vatna	The turmeric paste rubbed on the bride and groom before the wedding.
ਚੂੜਾ	chooda	The bride's set of red and white bangles.
ਕਲੀਰੇ	kaleere	Hanging ornaments tied to the bride's bangles.
ਸ਼ਗਨ	shagan	A gift or token given for good luck on a happy occasion.
ਡੋਲੀ	doli	The palanquin in which a bride once left her parents' home; now, the moment of her leaving.
ਵਧਾਈਆਂ	vadhaiyan	Congratulations.

Home, village and work

Word	Roman	Meaning
ਵਿਹੜਾ	vehda	The courtyard of a house, where much of family life and most giddha takes place.
ਬਨੇਰਾ	banera	The low wall around a flat roof. Crows sitting on it are said to announce guests.
ਚਰਖਾ	charkha	The spinning wheel.
ਤ੍ਰਿੰਞਣ	trinjan	A gathering of girls and women spinning together, where many old songs were made.
ਫੁਲਕਾਰੀ	phulkari	A shawl embroidered with flower patterns; literally "flower work".
ਮਧਾਣੀ, ਚਾਟੀ	madhaani, chaati	The churning stick, and the earthen pot in which curd is churned for butter.
ਗਾਗਰ	gaagar	A metal water pot. A decorated one is carried in the jaago.
ਪੀਂਘ	peengh	A swing, hung from a tree in the rainy season.
ਸਾਉਣ	saun (sawan)	The rainy month of the Punjabi calendar, and the season of Teeyan.
ਖੱਟਣ	khattan	To earn. "Khattan gaya si" means "he had gone away to earn".

Giddha and singing

Word	Roman	Meaning
ਬੋਲੀ ਪਾਉਣੀ	boli pauni	To "put" a boli: to lead one in the circle.
ਤੋੜਾ	toda (tod)	The closing line of a boli, which the whole circle repeats.
ਹੇਕ	hek	A long, drawn-out note with which some songs begin.
ਤਾੜੀ	taadi	A clap. The clap is the heartbeat of the giddha.
ਢੋਲਕੀ	dholki	The small two-sided drum played at women's singing evenings.
ਰੌਣਕ	raunak	Liveliness; the happy noise of a full house.
ਸ਼ਾਵਾ, ਬੱਲੇ ਬੱਲੇ	shaava, balle balle	Shouts of praise and joy, like "bravo".
ਨੀ, ਵੇ	ni, ve	Little calling words. "Ni" is used when speaking to a woman or girl, "ve" to a man or boy.
ਕੁੜੇ, ਬੀਬਾ	kude, beeba	Affectionate ways of addressing a girl, or a dear one of any age.

Why family words matter so much

English has one word, "aunt", where Punjabi has maasi, maami, bhua, chaachi and taayi, and each of them plays a different part at a wedding. Boliyan are built on these differences. A verse addressed to the maama is about the mother's family and its duties of honour. A verse about the nanaan and the bhabi is about two women, a sister and a brother's wife, who share a house. When you know who is who, a boli that seemed to be a plain rhyme turns into a small scene from family life. If you are making your own boli, choosing the exact relation is the quickest way to make it sound real.

Words that mean more than they say

Some words carry a feeling beyond their dictionary meaning. "Peke" is not simply the parents' house; for a married daughter in a folk song it is childhood, ease and belonging. "Sawan" is not only a month; it is the swings, the rain and a visit home. "Chann", the moon, is the beloved, and a mother also uses it for her child. Listen for these when you read the verses on this site, and the English meanings we give under each boli will open up further.

Using this page

Keep it open while you read the giddha boliyan, the wedding boliyan or the tappe. If you are teaching children, pick five words, act each one out, and then sing a boli that uses them. For how the verses are performed, read how to put a boli in the giddha.