सुंदर (sundar)

adjective A common adjective meaning 'beautiful' or 'pretty'; also occasionally used as an adverb-like intensifier in descriptions. Also spelled सुन्दर (sundar) with the full nasal, a common variant.
Sense 1 : beautiful, pretty, lovely
adjective
Synonyms: खूबसूरत (khoobsoorat), प्यारा (pyaaraa), हसीन (hasiin, literary), मनोहर (manohar, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: सुंदर (sundar) has a gentler, more wholesome ring than खूबसूरत (khoobsoorat), which can lean toward glamour or striking looks; a mother calling her child सुंदर (sundar) or a temple garden described as सुंदर (sundar) both feel natural, whereas खूबसूरत (khoobsoorat) fits more with a person's face or a dressed-up bride. It is also a very common given name element, as in सुंदर लाल (sundar laal).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach only for खूबसूरत (khoobsoorat) for 'beautiful'; सुंदर (sundar) is just as common and sounds a touch softer and more wholesome, often used for children, nature, or things rather than exclusively for a person's looks. 2) सुंदर (sundar) can describe a scene, a poem, a house, or a piece of writing, not just a face -- English speakers sometimes restrict 'beautiful' mentally to appearance and undertranslate this word elsewhere.
Sample Sentences:
यह बगीचा बहुत सुंदर है। This garden is very beautiful.
(yah bagiichaa bahut sundar hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मेरी बेटी सुंदर लग रही थी। My daughter looked beautiful.
(merii betii sundar lag rahii thii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
काश यह जगह इतनी सुंदर होती! If only this place were so beautiful!
(kaash yah jagah itnii sundar hotii!)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
मंदिर का बगीचा हर साल और सुंदर हो जाता है। The temple garden becomes even more beautiful every year.
(mandir kaa bagiichaa har saal aur sundar ho jaataa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुमने कभी इतना सुंदर सूर्यास्त देखा है? Have you ever seen such a beautiful sunset?
(kyaa tumne kabhii itnaa sundar sooryaast dekhaa hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बेटा, तुम आज कितने सुंदर लग रहे हो! Son, how handsome you look today!
(betaa, tum aaj kitne sundar lag rahe ho!)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह मूर्ति इतनी सुंदर बनाई गई है कि लोग दूर-दूर से देखने आते हैं। This statue has been made so beautifully that people come from far away to see it.
(yah moorti itnii sundar banaaii gaii hai ki log door-door se dekhne aate hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
काश हम वहाँ रहते जहाँ इतने सुंदर पहाड़ थे। If only we lived where there were such beautiful mountains.
(kaash ham vahaan rahte jahaan itne sundar pahaad the।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
प्रभु की यह सृष्टि कितनी सुंदर है। How beautiful is this creation of the Lord.
(prabhu kii yah srishti kitnii sundar hai।)
Register: Devotional -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कमरे को सुंदर बनाओ, मेहमान आने वाले हैं। Make the room beautiful, guests are about to arrive.
(kamre ko sundar banaao, mehmaan aane vaale hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर वह साड़ी थोड़ी हल्के रंग की होती, तो और सुंदर लगती। If that sari had been a lighter color, it would have looked even more beautiful.
(agar vah saadii thodii halke rang kii hotii, to aur sundar lagtii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant: सुंदर (sundar)