شہر

See also: شهر and سہر

Punjabi

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *tek-

Proto-Indo-European *tk-e-trómder.?

Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšatrám

Middle Persian 𐭱𐭲𐭥𐭩 (štʿy)

Classical Persian شهرbor.

Punjabi شَہَر

Pronunciation

• (Standard Punjabi) Phonetic: śǽră IPA^(key): /ʃɛː˦ɾə̆/

Noun

شَہَر • (śahar) m (Gurmukhi spelling ਸ਼ਹਿਰ)

1. city, metropolis (urban area)

   اَسِیں شَہَر توں آئے آں۔

   asīṉ śahar toṉ ā'e āṉ.

   We've come from the city.

Declension

Declension of شہر

	singular	plural
direct	شَہِر (śahir)	شَہِر (śahir)
oblique	شَہِر (śahir)	شَہِراں (śahirāṉ)
vocative	شَہِرا (śahirā)	شَہِرو (śahiro)
ablative	شَہِروں (śahiroṉ)	—
locative	شَہِرے (śahire)	شَہِرِیں (śahirīṉ)
instrumental	شَہِروں (śahiroṉ)	–

Further reading

• Iqbal, Salah ud-Din (2002), “شہر”, in vaḍḍī panjābī lughat (in Punjabi), Lahore: عزیز پبلشرز [ʻazīz pabliśarz]
• Bashir, Kanwal (2012), “شہر”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Hyattsville, MD: Dunwoody Press
• “ਸ਼ਹਿਰ”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2026

Urdu

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *tek-

Proto-Indo-European *tk-e-trómder.?

Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšatrám

Middle Persian 𐭱𐭲𐭥𐭩 (štʿy)

Classical Persian شهرbor.

Urdu شہر

Borrowed from Classical Persian شَهر (šahr), from Middle Persian 𐭱𐭲𐭥𐭩 (štʿy /⁠šahr⁠/), from Proto-Iranian *xšaθram (likely through Avestan 𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬚𐬭𐬀 (xšaθra, “kingdom”)), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kšatrám, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to attain”). Cognate with Sanskrit क्षत्र (kṣatrá, “dominion, kingdom”), and Parthian 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓 (ḥštr /⁠xšahr⁠/). Doublet of کھاتا (khātā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ʃəɦɾ/, [ʃɛ.ɦɛɾ]
• (Punjabic Urdu) IPA^(key): [ʃɛːɾ]
• Rhymes: -əɾ

Noun

شَہْر • (śahr) m (Hindi spelling शहर)

1. city (urban area)
2. (loosely) town

   Synonym: نگر (nagar)

Declension

Declension of شہر

	singular	plural
direct	شَہَر (śahr)	شَہَر (śahr)
oblique	شَہَر (śahr)	شَہَروں (śahrõ)
vocative	شَہَر (śahr)	شَہَرو (śahro)

Related terms

• شہری (śahrī, “citizen”)
• شہریت (śahriyat, “citizenship”)

Further reading

• “شہر”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “شہر”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.
• Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971), “شہر”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.