बेचैन (bechain)
adjective
A single-sense adjective describing restlessness or unease, in the body or the mind. Formed from the Persian prefix बे- (be, 'without') plus चैन (chain, 'peace/rest') -- literally 'without peace.'
Sense
1
:
restless, uneasy, agitated
adjective Commonly paired with होना (honaa) to describe a state ('to be restless') or with करना (karnaa) in the causative-feeling sense 'X makes me restless,' e.g. with को (ko)-marked experiencer: दिल बेचैन होना (dil bechain honaa, 'the heart to become restless').
Synonyms: अशांत (ashaant, literary), व्याकुल (vyaakul, literary), परेशान (pareshaan, overlaps but leans more toward 'worried/troubled'), अधीर (adhiir, leans toward 'impatient')
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: बेचैन (bechain) captures that specific fidgety, can't-sit-still feeling -- waiting for exam results, or a mother waiting for her child to come home late at night. It's a favorite word in Bollywood lyrics and shayari for describing lovesick agitation, e.g. दिल बेचैन है (dil bechain hai, 'the heart is restless'). Related noun is बेचैनी (bechainii, 'restlessness'), which you'll hear just as often as the adjective itself.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for परेशान (pareshaan) when they mean बेचैन (bechain) -- परेशान (pareshaan) suggests being troubled or hassled by a problem, while बेचैन (bechain) is more physical/visceral, a squirming inner restlessness even without a clear cause. 2) The experiencer typically takes को (ko), not ने (ne) -- मुझे बेचैनी हो रही है (mujhe bechainii ho rahii hai, 'I'm feeling restless') rather than a subject-agent construction, since this is a dative-subject feeling verb pattern like लगना (lagnaa).
Sample Sentences:
परीक्षा का परिणाम आने से पहले वह बहुत बेचैन था।
He was very restless before the exam results came out.
(pariikshaa kaa parinaam aane se pahle vah bahut bechain thaa।)
मेरा दिल बेचैन है, पता नहीं क्यों।
My heart is restless, I don't know why.
(meraa dil bechain hai, pataa nahiin kyon।)
बेटे के देर रात तक न लौटने पर माँ बेचैन हो जाती है।
When her son doesn't return until late at night, the mother becomes restless.
(bete ke der raat tak n lautne par maan bechain ho jaatii hai।)
वह कमरे में बेचैन-सा घूम रहा था।
He was pacing around the room, looking restless.
(vah kamre men bechain-saa ghoom rahaa thaa।)
अगर तुम इंतज़ार करोगे तो और बेचैन हो जाओगे, बेहतर है सो जाओ।
If you keep waiting, you'll only get more restless -- better to just go to sleep.
(agar tum intzaar karoge to aur bechain ho jaaoge, behtar hai so jaao।)
इतना बेचैन मत हो, सब ठीक हो जाएगा।
Don't be so restless, everything will be fine.
(itnaa bechain mat ho, sab thiik ho jaaegaa।)
अगर उसे सच पता चल जाता, तो वह भी इसी तरह बेचैन होता।
If he had found out the truth, he too would have been just as restless.
(agar use sach pataa chal jaataa, to vah bhii isii tarah bechain hotaa।)
साक्षात्कार के नतीजे का इंतज़ार करते हुए वह बेचैन महसूस कर रही थी।
Waiting for the interview results, she was feeling restless.
(saakshaatkaar ke natiije kaa intzaar karte hue vah bechain mahsoos kar rahii thii।)
शायद वह अपने प्रेमी की याद में बेचैन हो।
Perhaps she is restless, missing her beloved.
(shaayad vah apne premii kii yaad men bechain ho।)
उसकी बेचैनी देखकर सब समझ गए कि कुछ गड़बड़ है।
Seeing his restlessness, everyone understood that something was wrong.
(uskii bechainii dekhkar sab samajh gae ki kuchh gadbad hai।)
जब से चिट्ठी आई है, वह बेचैन बैठा है।
Ever since the letter arrived, he's been sitting there restless.
(jab se chitthii aaii hai, vah bechain baithaa hai।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
बेचैन
(bechain)