Borrowed from Persian آواز (āvāz), meaning "sound, voice, song." Persian itself likely traces it to an Old Iranian root related to calling or crying out. The word entered Hindi through centuries of Persian literary and courtly influence on the Indian subcontinent, and today it is one of the most natural, everyday words for "voice" or "sound" across Hindi, Urdu, and several neighboring languages.

आवाज़ carries rich cultural weight in South Asian arts: the prestige of a singer's āvāz is central to classical Hindustani music, and the phrase "आवाज़ उठाना" (to raise one's voice) is a common political and social idiom meaning to speak out or protest. Because the word is shared almost identically with Urdu, it appears constantly in Bollywood song lyrics and film dialogue, making it instantly recognizable even to casual listeners. Be careful not to confuse it with शब्द (śabd), which means a linguistic "word" rather than a sound.