सख़्त (sakht)

adjective An adjective meaning physically hard/firm or, by extension, harsh/strict in manner and severe in degree; also spelled सख्त (sakht) without the nuqta.

Sense 1 : strict, harsh, severe (of a person, rule, or punishment)

adjective

Synonyms: कठोर (kathor), कड़ा (kadaa), सख़्त-गीर (sakht-giir, rare, literary)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This is the word every strict schoolteacher or no-nonsense boss earns: सख़्त मास्टर (sakht maastar, 'strict teacher') or सख़्त निगरानी (sakht nigraanii, 'strict supervision') are everyday phrases in offices, schools, and homes across Delhi-NCR.

Common Mistakes: 1) सख़्त (sakht) describes a person's manner or a rule, not a task's difficulty -- for 'a hard exam' learners should use कठिन (kathin) or मुश्किल (mushkil), not सख़्त (sakht).

Sample Sentences:

हमारे स्कूल में हेडमास्टर बहुत सख़्त हैं। Our headmaster is very strict.

(hamaare skool men hedmaastar bahut sakht hain।)

मेरे पापा बचपन में बहुत सख़्त थे। My father was very strict when I was a child.

(mere paapaa bachpan men bahut sakht the।)

बॉस ने आज सबको एक सख़्त चेतावनी दी। The boss gave everyone a stern warning today.

(bos ne aaj sabko ek sakht chetaavnii dii।)

अगर तुम फिर से लेट आए, तो मुझे सख़्त कदम उठाना पड़ेगा। If you come late again, I will have to take strict action.

(agar tum phir se let aae, to mujhe sakht kadam uthaanaa padegaa।)

गेट पर सख़्त निगरानी रखी जा रही है। Strict watch is being kept at the gate.

(get par sakht nigraanii rakhii jaa rahii hai।)

काश हमारे कॉलेज के नियम इतने सख़्त न होते। I wish our college rules weren't so strict.

(kaash hamaare kolej ke niyam itne sakht n hote।)

उससे सख़्त लहजे में बात मत करो, वो घबरा जाएगी। Don't speak to her in such a harsh tone, she'll get nervous.

(usse sakht lahje men baat mat karo, vo ghabraa jaaegii।)

अदालत ने अपराधी को सख़्त सज़ा सुनाई। The court handed down a severe punishment to the criminal.

(adaalat ne apraadhii ko sakht sazaa sunaaii।)

शायद वो इतनी सख़्त इसलिए है क्योंकि उसे बचपन में बहुत तकलीफ़ें झेलनी पड़ी थीं। Maybe she's so strict because she had to endure a lot of hardships in her childhood.

(shaayad vo itnii sakht islie hai kyonki use bachpan men bahut takliifen jhelnii padii thiin।)

सरकार को इस मामले में और सख़्त कानून बनाने चाहिए। The government should make stricter laws on this matter.

(sarkaar ko is maamle men aur sakht kaanoon banaane chaahie।)

वो मास्टरनी अपने ज़माने में बहुत सख़्त मानी जाती थीं। That teacher used to be considered very strict in her time.

(vo maastarnii apne zamaane men bahut sakht maanii jaatii thiin।)

Sense 2 : hard, firm (physical texture)

adjective

Synonyms: कठोर (kathor), ठोस (thos, solid/dense), कड़ा (kadaa)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: Think of a rock, a wooden board, or stale bread gone hard -- सख़्त (sakht) is the word for something that resists pressure and doesn't give. It's the physical anchor from which the 'strict/harsh' sense (below) naturally grew.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for कड़ा (kadaa) and सख़्त (sakht) interchangeably, but सख़्त (sakht) leans more toward 'rigid/unyielding' while कड़ा (kadaa) can also mean 'strong-tasting' (कड़ी चाय, kadii chaay, 'strong tea') -- that food sense doesn't transfer to सख़्त (sakht).

Sample Sentences:

यह लकड़ी बहुत सख़्त है। This wood is very hard.

(yah lakdii bahut sakht hai।)

रोटी रखे-रखे सख़्त हो गई। The bread went hard from sitting out.

(rotii rakhe-rakhe sakht ho gaii।)

यह गद्दा बहुत सख़्त है, इस पर सोना मुश्किल है। This mattress is very hard, it's difficult to sleep on it.

(yah gaddaa bahut sakht hai, is par sonaa mushkil hai।)

पत्थर की सतह इतनी सख़्त थी कि हथौड़ा भी टूट गया। The stone's surface was so hard that even the hammer broke.

(patthar kii satah itnii sakht thii ki hathaudaa bhii toot gayaa।)

अगर मिट्टी इतनी सख़्त न होती तो हल चलाना आसान होता। If the soil weren't so hard, ploughing would be easy.

(agar mittii itnii sakht n hotii to hal chalaanaa aasaan hotaa।)

सर्दियों में मक्खन सख़्त हो जाता है। Butter becomes hard in winter.

(sardiyon men makkhan sakht ho jaataa hai।)

यह प्लास्टिक इतना सख़्त बनाया गया है कि टूटता नहीं। This plastic has been made so hard that it doesn't break.

(yah plaastik itnaa sakht banaayaa gayaa hai ki toottaa nahiin।)

ज़मीन इतनी सख़्त हो चुकी थी कि बीज बोना नामुमकिन था। The ground had become so hard that sowing seeds was impossible.

(zamiin itnii sakht ho chukii thii ki biij bonaa naamumkin thaa।)

क्या यह चट्टान सचमुच इतनी सख़्त होगी कि तोड़ी न जा सके? Could this rock really be so hard that it can't be broken?

(kyaa yah chattaan sachmuch itnii sakht hogii ki todii n jaa sake?)

पुराने किले की दीवारें आज भी उतनी ही सख़्त हैं। The walls of the old fort are just as hard even today.

(puraane kile kii diivaaren aaj bhii utnii hii sakht hain।)

Sense 3 : intense, severe (of pain, cold, need, etc.)

adjective Often pairs with abstract nouns like ज़रूरत (zaroorat, need), दर्द (dard, pain), or सर्दी (sardii, cold) to intensify them, similar to 'severe' or 'acute' in English.

Synonyms: तेज़ (tez), गहरा (gahraa, deep)

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: You'll hear this in phrases like सख़्त ज़रूरत (sakht zaroorat, 'urgent need') or सख़्त सर्दी (sakht sardii, 'bitter cold') -- the physical 'hardness' sense stretches here to mean an intensity that's hard to bear, much like English 'hard winter.'

Sample Sentences:

आज सख़्त सर्दी पड़ रही है। It's bitterly cold today.

(aaj sakht sardii pad rahii hai।)

मुझे पैसों की सख़्त ज़रूरत है। I have an urgent need for money.

(mujhe paison kii sakht zaroorat hai।)

उसे रात भर सख़्त दर्द होता रहा। He kept suffering severe pain all night.

(use raat bhar sakht dard hotaa rahaa।)

पिछले हफ़्ते सख़्त गर्मी पड़ी थी। There was intense heat last week.

(pichhle hafte sakht garmii padii thii।)

अगर पानी नहीं मिला तो सख़्त प्यास लग सकती है। If there's no water, you might feel an intense thirst.

(agar paanii nahiin milaa to sakht pyaas lag saktii hai।)

अगर तब इलाज मिल जाता तो उसे इतना सख़्त दर्द नहीं सहना पड़ता। If he had gotten treatment then, he wouldn't have had to bear such severe pain.

(agar tab ilaaj mil jaataa to use itnaa sakht dard nahiin sahnaa padtaa।)

इस बार की सख़्त ठंड ने सबको परेशान कर दिया है। This time's bitter cold has troubled everyone.

(is baar kii sakht thand ne sabko pareshaan kar diyaa hai।)

डॉक्टरों को दवाइयों की सख़्त कमी का सामना करना पड़ रहा है। Doctors are having to face an acute shortage of medicines.

(doktron ko davaaiyon kii sakht kamii kaa saamnaa karnaa pad rahaa hai।)

उन इलाकों में सख़्त सूखा महसूस किया जा रहा है। A severe drought is being felt in those areas.

(un ilaakon men sakht sookhaa mahsoos kiyaa jaa rahaa hai।)

सर्दियों में यहाँ इतनी सख़्त ठंड पड़ेगी कि तुम सोच भी नहीं सकते। The cold here in winter will be so severe that you can't even imagine.

(sardiyon men yahaan itnii sakht thand padegii ki tum soch bhii nahiin sakte।)

Morphology

Adjective (invariant)

invariant: सख़्त (sakht)