बहरा (bahraa)
adjective/noun
An adjective/noun meaning 'deaf'; describes a person who cannot hear, and by extension can be used figuratively for someone who won't listen.
Sense
1
:
deaf (unable to hear)
adjective
Synonyms: बधिर (badhir, formal/medical)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In daily conversation, calling someone बहरा (bahraa) to their face can come across as impolite -- much like calling someone 'deaf' bluntly in English -- so people often soften it or switch to बधिर (badhir) in polite company. You will also hear it in the common scolding phrase कान में बहरा हो गया है क्या? (kaan men bahraa ho gayaa hai kyaa, 'have your ears gone deaf or what?') aimed at someone who isn't listening.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners forget this adjective inflects like कड़ा (kadaa) -- बहरा (bahraa) for masculine singular, बहरी (bahrii) for feminine, बहरे (bahre) for plural/oblique -- rather than staying invariant. 2) बधिर (badhir) is the word used in official, medical, or polite contexts (e.g. signage, schools for the deaf); बहरा (bahraa) is the everyday spoken word but can sound blunt or even rude if used directly to or about someone in a formal setting.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे दादाजी अपने एक कान से बहरे हैं।
My grandfather is deaf in one ear.
(mere daadaajii apne ek kaan se bahre hain।)
तेज़ आवाज़ में गाने सुनते-सुनते वह धीरे-धीरे बहरा हो गया।
Listening to songs at loud volume, he gradually went deaf.
(tez aavaaz men gaane sunte-sunte vah dhiire-dhiire bahraa ho gayaa।)
क्या तुम कान में बहरे हो गए हो क्या, मैं कब से बुला रही हूँ?
Have your ears gone deaf or what, I've been calling you for ages?
(kyaa tum kaan men bahre ho gae ho kyaa, main kab se bulaa rahii hoon?)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि यह दवा लंबे समय तक लेने से मरीज़ बहरा हो सकता है।
The doctor said that taking this medicine for a long time could make the patient deaf.
(doktar ne kahaa ki yah davaa lambe samay tak lene se mariiz bahraa ho saktaa hai।)
अगर वह बहरा नहीं होता, तो सायरन की आवाज़ ज़रूर सुन लेता।
If he weren't deaf, he would surely have heard the siren.
(agar vah bahraa nahiin hotaa, to saayran kii aavaaz zaroor sun letaa।)
जन्म से बहरे बच्चों के लिए यहाँ एक विशेष स्कूल है।
There is a special school here for children who are deaf from birth.
(janm se bahre bachchon ke lie yahaan ek vishesh skool hai।)
उसे बहरा मत कहो, उसके सामने बधिर कहना ज़्यादा ठीक रहेगा।
Don't call him deaf -- it's better to say 'badhir' in front of him.
(use bahraa mat kaho, uske saamne badhir kahnaa zyaadaa thiik rahegaa।)
बुढ़ापे में बहुत से लोग बहरे हो जाते हैं।
Many people become deaf in old age.
(budhaape men bahut se log bahre ho jaate hain।)
विस्फोट की आवाज़ से मैं कुछ देर के लिए बहरा हो गया था।
I went deaf for a while because of the sound of the explosion.
(visphot kii aavaaz se main kuchh der ke lie bahraa ho gayaa thaa।)
कहीं ऐसा तो नहीं कि जन्मजात बहरे इस बच्चे को इलाज से सुनाई देने लगे?
Could it be that this child, deaf from birth, might start to hear with treatment?
(kahiin aisaa to nahiin ki janmjaat bahre is bachche ko ilaaj se sunaaii dene lage?)
दोनों कानों से बहरा होने के बावजूद वह इशारों की भाषा में सबसे बात कर लेता है।
Despite being deaf in both ears, he manages to talk to everyone in sign language.
(donon kaanon se bahraa hone ke baavjood vah ishaaron kii bhaashaa men sabse baat kar letaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
a deaf person
noun, masculine/feminine Used as a noun by dropping any following noun, e.g. वह बहरा है (vah bahraa hai, 'he is a deaf person/he is deaf') -- the same word doubles as noun and adjective, as with many Hindi adjectives of this type.
Synonyms: बधिर (badhir, formal/medical)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll often hear this paired with गूँगा (goongaa, 'mute') in the set phrase बहरा-गूँगा (bahraa-goongaa), used both literally and, jokingly, for someone who neither listens nor speaks up when they should.
Sample Sentences:
वह बहरा जन्म से ही है।
He has been a deaf person since birth.
(vah bahraa janm se hii hai।)
स्कूल में एक बहरे और एक गूँगे बच्चे के लिए अलग कक्षा है।
There's a separate class in the school for a deaf child and a mute child.
(skool men ek bahre aur ek goonge bachche ke lie alag kakshaa hai।)
उस बहरे को इशारों की भाषा सिखाई जाती है।
That deaf person is taught sign language.
(us bahre ko ishaaron kii bhaashaa sikhaaii jaatii hai।)
बहरों के लिए यह मशीन आवाज़ को कंपन में बदल देती है।
For deaf people, this machine converts sound into vibration.
(bahron ke lie yah mashiin aavaaz ko kampan men badal detii hai।)
गली के नुक्कड़ पर एक बहरा-गूँगा भीख माँग रहा था।
A deaf-mute person was begging at the street corner.
(galii ke nukkad par ek bahraa-goongaa bhiikh maang rahaa thaa।)
अगर वह बहरा न होता तो अपनी माँ की आवाज़ ज़रूर सुन पाता।
If he weren't deaf, he would surely be able to hear his mother's voice.
(agar vah bahraa n hotaa to apnii maan kii aavaaz zaroor sun paataa।)
क्या सरकार बहरों के लिए कोई विशेष योजना बनाएगी?
Will the government make any special scheme for deaf people?
(kyaa sarkaar bahron ke lie koii vishesh yojnaa banaaegii?)
उस बहरे बच्चे ने इशारों से अपनी बात समझा दी।
That deaf child made his point understood through gestures.
(us bahre bachche ne ishaaron se apnii baat samjhaa dii।)
बहरों और गूँगों के अधिकारों पर आज सम्मेलन में चर्चा हुई।
Today there was a discussion at the conference on the rights of the deaf and mute.
(bahron aur goongon ke adhikaaron par aaj sammelan men charchaa huii।)
बहरे को ज़ोर से मत डाँटो, वह डर जाएगा।
Don't scold the deaf person loudly, he'll get scared.
(bahre ko zor se mat daanto, vah dar jaaegaa।)
Sense
3
:
figuratively deaf; willfully not listening
adjective Commonly used in the extended sense of 'turning a deaf ear,' often in the phrase बहरे कानों तक (bahre kaanon tak, 'to deaf ears') describing pleas or advice that go unheeded.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the same emotional move English makes with 'falling on deaf ears' -- Hindi speakers say किसी की बात बहरे कानों तक पहुँचना (kisii kii baat bahre kaanon tak pahunchnaa, 'for someone's words to reach deaf ears') to describe advice or complaints that are completely ignored, often about a stubborn family member or an unresponsive official.
Sample Sentences:
सरकार पब्लिक की तकलीफ़ों के लिए बहरी हो गई है।
The government has become deaf to the public's troubles.
(sarkaar pablik kii takliifon ke lie bahrii ho gaii hai।)
मेरी सारी बातें उसके बहरे कानों तक ही नहीं पहुँचती हैं।
All my words just don't reach his deaf ears.
(merii saarii baaten uske bahre kaanon tak hii nahiin pahunchtii hain।)
मैंने कितनी बार मनाया, पर वह अपनी सेहत के मामले में बहरा बना रहा।
I pleaded with him so many times, but he stayed deaf when it came to his own health.
(mainne kitnii baar manaayaa, par vah apnii sehat ke maamle men bahraa banaa rahaa।)
अगर तुमने हमारी शिकायत सुनी होती तो हम तुम्हें बहरा न कहते।
If you had listened to our complaint, we wouldn't have called you deaf.
(agar tumne hamaarii shikaayat sunii hotii to ham tumhen bahraa n kahte।)
इस मामले में बहरा मत बनो, बच्चे की परेशानी को समझो।
Don't play deaf about this -- understand the child's difficulty.
(is maamle men bahraa mat bano, bachche kii pareshaanii ko samjho।)
शायद वह जानबूझकर बहरा बन रहा हो, ताकि जिम्मेदारी से बच सके।
Maybe he is deliberately playing deaf, so that he can escape responsibility.
(shaayad vah jaanboojhkar bahraa ban rahaa ho, taaki jimmedaarii se bach sake।)
प्रशासन को इतनी बार लिखा गया, फिर भी वह बहरा ही रहा।
The administration was written to so many times, yet it remained deaf.
(prashaasan ko itnii baar likhaa gayaa, phir bhii vah bahraa hii rahaa।)
गरीबों की पुकार अक्सर बहरे कानों तक पहुँचती है और वहीं दम तोड़ देती है।
The cries of the poor often reach deaf ears and die right there.
(gariibon kii pukaar aksar bahre kaanon tak pahunchtii hai aur vahiin dam tod detii hai।)
काश वह अपने पिता की सलाह के लिए बहरा न होता।
I wish he weren't deaf to his father's advice.
(kaash vah apne pitaa kii salaah ke lie bahraa n hotaa।)
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m):
बहरा
(bahraa)
(pl.m):
बहरे
(bahre)
(sg.f):
बहरी
(bahrii)
(pl.f):
बहरी
(bahrii)
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct):
बहरा
(bahraa)
(sg.m/f.oblique):
बहरा
(bahraa)
(pl.m/f.direct):
बहराएँ
(bahraaen)
(pl.m/f.oblique):
बहराओं
(bahraaon)