What it means
هوو (havu) means co-wife: the other wife of one’s husband in a polygamous marriage. The word is of native Persian origin and is attested in classical poetry and folk literature where the havu relationship is almost always portrayed as one of rivalry, jealousy, and bitterness. Islamic law permits a man to have up to four wives under certain conditions, and while polygamy is uncommon in modern urban Iran, the word havu remains fully alive in everyday speech as a metaphor for any rival or competitor who encroaches on something you consider yours. The plural هووها (havuhâ) is used when a man has more than two wives.
How to use it
- زن دوم شوهرش هووش شد. (zan-e dovvom-e shoharash havush shod.) “Her husband’s second wife became her havu.”
- مثل هوو با هم رفتار میکنن. (mesl-e havu bâ ham raftâr mikonan.) “They treat each other like havus.”
- اون دوتا از روز اول هوو هم بودن. (oon dotâ az ruze avval havu-ye ham budan.) “Those two were rivals from the very first day.”
- دلم نمیخواد هوو داشته باشم. (delam nemikhâd havu dâshte bâsham.) “I don’t want to have a co-wife.”
Cultural note
The havu figure is a staple of Persian proverbs, folk songs, and classical poetry, almost always symbolising jealousy and domestic strife. The proverb هوو بد است (havu bad ast), “a co-wife is bad,” is widely known even among people with no personal experience of polygamy. In contemporary colloquial Persian, calling someone your havu or saying someone is acting like a havu has moved beyond its literal meaning to describe any situation of intense rivalry, especially between women competing for the same man’s affection or a shared resource.