A tawaif was a highly cultured courtesan who catered to the nobility of India, particularly during the Mughal era. The tawaif excelled in and contributed to music, dance (mujra), theatre, and the Urdu literary tradition, and were considered an authority on etiquette.

Tawaif were largely a North Indian institution that became prominent during the weakening of the Mughal rule in the mid-18th century.