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.