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Sauda

“Sauda,” which means purchases or, in some contexts, a deal, is a Punjabi slang for penis in rural areas of central Punjab, Pakistan. It isn't easy to trace how this word became used in such a context because there’s hardly any standardization of Punjabi, particularly for terms that have a very local scope and are slang.

“Lun Aadmi” (a dick person) is commonly used in Urdu, particularly among young people. In English, when someone refers to others as a dick, it implies that that person is being mean, but in Punjabi, that’s not how "sauda" is used. The perfect translation for “sauda,” apart from being slang for the body organ, is “a slow-witted fuck.” It’s often used as:

  • “O vi niraa sauda hi aye” (he’s just a slow-witted fuck).

  • “Yaar iss da sauda bohot waddaa aye” (mate, he has a huge dick).


In all-boys schools of rural Punjab, around 8th or 9th grade, when students are introduced to the poetry of Mirza Sauda, a prominent 18th-century Urdu poet, there is silent, collective, secretive joy, among the students sometimes involving the instructor because of the poet's last name, and its slang connotation in Punjabi. "Sauda" is also used in Punjabi to refer to someone foolish or distasteful. There are several instances where it is used to describe other people’s personalities rather than referring to someone’s penis. The literal use of the word, however, is purchases or trade.

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