Most Beautiful Words in Hindi?

[albatross]

Little off topic but i was reading that most bollywood film songs use urdu words mixed in because they are more "beautiful" ... i will try and find the article

It was the language of the mughals and mughals court poets, I believe that many lyrcists come from this tradition. and it would pull heavily from persian/iranian traditions which are quite poetic...an imperfect analogy - galiec irish and scottish writers have a reputation for being more 'poetic' than other englishy speakers...

A little off topic but like the girl's names Gita and Vidya...

[blubells]

Lovely thread!

Hmm... after giving it some thought, I came up with these.

Hamesha - forever
Churana - to steal (I think)
Chand -moon
Chandi - silver
Sanson - breaths
Sitam - injustice
Savere - early (...in the morning)
 
I hope they are correct (and not mentioned before). 

I have to agree with Hamesha, I love saying it.

My own list would consist of:

Hamesha
Ishq
Pyaar
Saanwariya
Dil

They're all centred around love and I realized while making this list that I prefer lyrics from songs over just words.

[Ginger]

I find these words nice to say:

Hameesha
Manzurhai (I know I spelled that wrong, the word for I agree, maybe it's not one word and I'm actually hearing a sentence? Mai.n zur hai??
Silsilaa
Khushi
Dhadkan (awesome onomatopoeia)

This is probably not appropriate for this thread, but the other day a Spanish speaking friend asked me if I agreed with him (in Spanish of course) and instead of saying it in spanish, I said the above.  Even when I want to say really (verdad), sometimes I say achcha (sp).  This is getting to be a problem...
 

[Ashish]

I am sure some of you know that "tashreef" means "ass" (not the animal)! So this whole poetic setence in effect is saying that: get your ass out of here/bring your ass here. Nice, huh 

Can you not say "aap yahaa.n se apnaa tashriif le jaie" in hindi as well? 

Sure you can say that. Tashreef is an Urdu word but nowadaya just like there's Hinglish - a mixture of Hindi and English, so also Urdu and Hindi are often mixed up and everyone understands them.

[carla]

I am sure some of you know that "tashreef" means "ass" (not the animal)! So this whole poetic setence in effect is saying that: get your ass out of here/bring your ass here. Nice, huh 

Sure, but it's said so poetically!  "jiskii uabaan urduu kii tarah!"   

On the topic, I love the sound of Hindi, but I'm not sure I can attribute it to particular words.  I like the rhythm of hindi and the many phonemes that do not exist in English.  There are phrases that I like to say, that I like the "mouthfeel" of, if you know what I mean, but they are not necessarily lovely evocative words like those that have been mentioned by others in the thread. 

[Ginger]

On the topic, I love the sound of Hindi, but I'm not sure I can attribute it to particular words.  I like the rhythm of hindi and the many phonemes that do not exist in English.  There are phrases that I like to say, that I like the "mouthfeel" of, if you know what I mean, but they are not necessarily lovely evocative words like those that have been mentioned by others in the thread. 

I agree.  The same thing with spanish, it's the way the word sounds or falls of the lips that make them beautiful - even if their meaning is quite horrid.

[Rani Hinnustani]

This is probably not appropriate for this thread, but the other day a Spanish speaking friend asked me if I agreed with him (in Spanish of course) and instead of saying it in spanish, I said the above.  Even when I want to say really (verdad), sometimes I say achcha (sp).  This is getting to be a problem...
 

The same used to happen to me in French class...I used to forget..and answer my teacher in hindi...!

I always used to think hindi and urdu poetic languages...and tried always to learn them. I learned french for a year but never thought it was poetic or anything...did't like it..i forgot everything i learned in 2 months..!

[bollyking]

id have to agree on hamesha...

i like insaan, sarfarosh, zindagi.

[smartypants]

I am sure some of you know that "tashreef" means "ass" (not the animal)! So this whole poetic setence in effect is saying that: get your ass out of here/bring your ass here. Nice, huh 

kuch bhi yaar! tashreef does NOT mean ass. it's is related to sharafat, shareef. it translates more to 'your honourable presence'. it is urdu at its most refinedest. don't cheapen it with such an interpretation at least  .

[Ashish]

I wasn't trying to cheapen it. I was telling what I believe to be true. I may be wrong.

I am sure some of you know that "tashreef" means "ass" (not the animal)! So this whole poetic setence in effect is saying that: get your ass out of here/bring your ass here. Nice, huh 

kuch bhi yaar! tashreef does NOT mean ass. it's is related to sharafat, shareef. it translates more to 'your honourable presence'. it is urdu at its most refinedest. don't cheapen it with such an interpretation at least  .

[smartypants]

I wasn't trying to cheapen it. I was telling what I believe to be true. I may be wrong.

Okay. No, I think it has the more refined meaning. so if you are saying ' tashreef rakhein', it's more like saying 'your honourable presence may be placed here'. 'tashreef le jaayen' is a polite 'please leave', translating to 'your presence be taken away' and so on.

[bollyking]

I wasn't trying to cheapen it. I was telling what I believe to be true. I may be wrong.

Okay. No, I think it has the more refined meaning. so if you are saying ' tashreef rakhein', it's more like saying 'your honourable presence may be placed here'. 'tashreef le jaayen' is a polite 'please leave', translating to 'your presence be taken away' and so on.

in urdu if you were to say tashreef liye, it would translate as to 'come inside' (andar aaye)...a very formal way to say it.

[Ashish]

I agree with all the interpretation of "tashreef" and meaning which it came to imply. But main issue that what does it mean literally is still not clear. Does it have root in "shareef" as smartypants suggested?

I wasn't trying to cheapen it. I was telling what I believe to be true. I may be wrong.

Okay. No, I think it has the more refined meaning. so if you are saying ' tashreef rakhein', it's more like saying 'your honourable presence may be placed here'. 'tashreef le jaayen' is a polite 'please leave', translating to 'your presence be taken away' and so on.

in urdu if you were to say tashreef liye, it would translate as to 'come inside' (andar aaye)...a very formal way to say it.

[crazyone]

http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2:1:296:0.hobson

TASHREEF , s. This is the Ar. tashrīf, 'honouring'; and thus "con<-> ferring honour upon anyone, as by paying him a visit, presenting a dress of honour, or any complimentary donation" (Wilson). In Northern India the general use of the word is as one of ceremonious politeness in speaking of a visit from a superior or from one who is treated in politeness as a superior; when such an one is invited to 'bring his tashrīf,' i.e. 'to carry the honour of his presence,' 'to condescend to visit ' --- . The word always implies superiority on the part of him to whom tashrīf is attributed. It is constantly used by polite natives in addressing Europeans. But when the European in return says (as we have heard said, through ignorance of the real meaning of the phrase), 'I will bring my tashrīf,' the effect is ludicrous in the extreme, though no native will betray his amusement. In S. India the word seems to be used for the dress of honour conferred, and in the old Madras records, rightly or wrongly, for any complimentary present, in fact a honorarium. Thus in Wheeler we find the following:

1674. -- "He (Lingapa, naik of Poona- malee) had, he said, carried a tasheriff to the English, and they had refused to take it. . . ." -- Op. cit. i. 84.

1680. -- "It being necessary to appoint one as the Company's Chief Merchant (Verona being deceased), resolved Bera Pedda Vincatadry, do succeed and the Tasheriffs be given to him and the rest of the principal Merchants, viz., 3 yards Scarlett to Pedda Vincatadry, and 2½ yards each to four others. . . .

"The Governor being informed that Verona's young daughter was melancholly and would not eat because her husband had received no Tasheriff, he also is Tasherifd with 2½ yards Scarlet cloth." -- Fort St. Geo. Consns., April 6. In Notes and Exts., Madras, 1873, p. 15.

1685. -- "Gopall Pundit having been at great charge in coming hither with such a numerous retinue . . . that we may engage him . . . to continue his friendship, to attain some more and better privileges there (at Cuddalore) than we have as yetIt is ordered that he with his attendants be Tasherift as followeth" (a list of presents follows). -- In Wheeler, i. 148. [And see the same phrase in Pringle, Diary, &c., i. 1].

[Ashish]

Oh Well. So I was living in the fool's paradise, but a funny one.

[VanEesha]

hmmm.. nice collection of hindi words here.... it's hard to make a choice from such a language where each word has a special meaning.. a special feeling.. never leaving you indifferent. still.. after considering it, i came up with.. "khwayish".. and "shaan" and "Daard".. 

many more.. since am a beginner in learning hindi.. i think am going to like many more words in the coming future..

 

[mikusa]

hi there! i'm new here and I just saw the discussion of which are the most beautiful words in Hindi, well I believe that the language is very beautifull and has lots of beautifull words and i think that evreybody knows  what the  beautifull words are, but isn't that just because they may represent something for them?

[Ghoda Ladki]

This is a fun topic! I definetly agree "hamesha" is nice. I also like:

Akaash
Prem
Sahelii
Dadhkan(spelling?)
Manzil
Roshni

[paok]

Maji (mother) and petaji (father)
The sweetest words in  any  and every language for me
My personal favourite is 'materam' which sounds like my mother-tongue word of the same meaning 'mitera/miteramu'

[tweetytwinkle]

fun topic!

my recent favorites:

zindagi

khushboo (loove the sound of it )

nindiya

[Parallel_Worlds]

I love the word daag (दाग़) (blot, stain)  It has this perfect guttural Dutch G in the end. 

[humsurfer]

I love the word daag (दाग़) (blot, stain)  It has this perfect guttural Dutch G in the end. 

That's cool to know; what are some Dutch words with this sound? Does Dutch have the guttural kh as well?

The words I like with the gutteral G are ग़ज़ब, ग़म and ग़ैर. Fun to pronounce .

[Parallel_Worlds]

gazab is very nice, I like it too.

We don't have a letter that exactly sounds like kh, but I think "ch" comes close to it. As in "chemie" (chemistry) or "schreeuwen" (to yell). But NOT the ch in christelijk (Christian) or chirurg (surgeon). Those ch's get pronounced very differently, like k and shi respectively.
Depending on the region the g gets pronounced differently. Some use a very soft g, some a very hard g, but the most common g sounds very much like the urdu g.

It's easier for me to pronounce Urdu words. Much easier than words with letters like ढ़ in Hindi. That one still gives me a hard time 

[bollyscot]

I think I will probably go for "roshni" - has a lovely resonance for me!

[asante]

I think I will probably go for "roshni" - has a lovely resonance for me!

Aah good choice!! Got me thinking of the song Roshni Se from Asoka

Mine would be Bohot Khushi *spelling*