غالبا

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic غَالِبًا (ḡāliban). By surface analysis, (ġâleb) +‎ (-an).

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ɣaː.li.ˈban/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ɣɑː.lɪ.bǽn]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ɣɑː.lɪ.bǽn]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ɣɔː.li.bǽn]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [qɒː.le.bǽn]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʁɔ.li.bǽn]

Readings
Classical reading^?	ġāliban
Dari reading^?	ġāliban
Iranian reading^?	ġâleban
Tajik reading^?	ġoliban

Adverb


Iranian Persian	غالبا
Dari	غالبا
Tajik	ғолибан

غالباً • (ġâleban)

mostly
often; very often
(archaic) probably
- c. 1520, Badr-ud-Dīn Hilālī, [Dīvān]:
  چیست دامان سپهر امروز پرخون از شفق؟
  غالبا امشب ز درد عشق گردون می‌گریست
  čī-st dāmān-i sipihr imrōz pur-xūn az šafaq?
  ġāliban imšab z-i dard-i išq gardūn mē-girīst
  What is it, the robe of heaven today bloody from the sunset?
  Probably, the firmament was weeping from the pain of love tonight.

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian (ġâliban), from Arabic غَالِبًا (ḡāliban).

Pronunciation

(Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ɣɑː.lɪ.bən/
Rhymes: -ən

Adverb

غالِباً • (ġāliban) (Hindi spelling ग़ालिबन)

probably, apparently, for the most part, mostly, chiefly

References

“غالبا”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
“غالبا”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.