अनपढ़ (anpadh)
adjective/noun
A common adjective/noun meaning 'illiterate' or 'uneducated', built from the negative prefix अ- (a) plus पढ़ (padh, 'read'). Same word serves as both a descriptive adjective and a noun referring to an illiterate person.
Sense
1
:
illiterate, unlettered
adjective
Synonyms: निरक्षर (nirakshar, formal), गैर-पढ़ा-लिखा (gair-padhaa-likhaa, colloquial)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this word a lot in the context of literacy campaigns and rural development -- सरकार अनपढ़ लोगों को पढ़ाना चाहती है (sarkaar anpadh logon ko padhaanaa chaahtii hai, 'the government wants to teach illiterate people') is the kind of sentence that shows up in news and NGO talk. But used about a person directly, it stings a bit, similar to calling someone 'uneducated' in English -- so context and tone matter a lot.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse अनपढ़ (anpadh) with अज्ञानी (agyaanii, 'ignorant') -- अनपढ़ (anpadh) is specifically about lacking formal education/literacy, not general foolishness or lack of worldly sense. 2) Calling someone अनपढ़ (anpadh) to their face is quite blunt and can come across as an insult, even though it is descriptively neutral in a sentence about literacy statistics.
Sample Sentences:
मेरी दादी अनपढ़ थीं, लेकिन वे बहुत समझदार थीं।
My grandmother was illiterate, but she was very wise.
(merii daadii anpadh thiin, lekin ve bahut samajhdaar thiin।)
सरकार अनपढ़ लोगों को पढ़ाना चाहती है।
The government wants to teach illiterate people.
(sarkaar anpadh logon ko padhaanaa chaahtii hai।)
गाँव में अभी भी कई परिवार अनपढ़ हैं।
Many families in the village are still illiterate.
(gaanv men abhii bhii kaii parivaar anpadh hain।)
उसे अनपढ़ मत कहो, उसने स्कूल छोड़ा था मजबूरी में।
Don't call him illiterate, he had to leave school out of necessity.
(use anpadh mat kaho, usne skool chhodaa thaa majboorii men।)
अगर वह अनपढ़ न होता, तो उसे यह नौकरी मिल जाती।
If he weren't illiterate, he would have gotten this job.
(agar vah anpadh n hotaa, to use yah naukrii mil jaatii।)
इस इलाके में अनपढ़ महिलाओं की संख्या घट रही है।
The number of illiterate women in this area is decreasing.
(is ilaake men anpadh mahilaaon kii sankhyaa ghat rahii hai।)
अरे, ऐसे अनपढ़ों की तरह बात मत करो!
Hey, don't talk like an uneducated fool!
(are, aise anapdhon kii tarah baat mat karo!)
क्या हो अगर सारे बच्चे अनपढ़ रह जाएँ?
What would happen if all the children remained illiterate?
(kyaa ho agar saare bachche anpadh rah jaaen?)
एक ज़माने में यहाँ की अधिकतर आबादी अनपढ़ हुआ करती थी।
In a bygone era, most of the population here used to be illiterate.
(ek zamaane men yahaan kii adhiktar aabaadii anpadh huaa kartii thii।)
इस योजना के तहत अनपढ़ नागरिकों को मुफ्त शिक्षा दी जाएगी।
Under this scheme, free education will be given to illiterate citizens.
(is yojnaa ke tahat anpadh naagrikon ko mupht shikshaa dii jaaegii।)
मैं नहीं चाहता कि मेरा बेटा अनपढ़ रह जाए।
I don't want my son to remain illiterate.
(main nahiin chaahtaa ki meraa betaa anpadh rah jaae।)
Sense
2
:
an illiterate person
noun, masculine/feminine Functions as a noun simply by using the same adjective form with an implied 'person' -- अनपढ़ (anpadh) alone can mean 'an illiterate (person)', taking gender agreement from context rather than changing form.
Synonyms: निरक्षर (nirakshar, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This noun use is common in proverbs and folk sayings about the value of education, where अनपढ़ (anpadh) stands in contrast to पढ़ा-लिखा (padhaa-likhaa, 'educated') -- a pairing you will hear constantly in everyday conversation about schooling and opportunity.
Sample Sentences:
गाँव में बहुत से अनपढ़ आज भी अपने हक़ के लिए लड़ना नहीं जानते।
In the village, many illiterate people still don't know how to fight for their rights.
(gaanv men bahut se anpadh aaj bhii apne haq ke lie ladnaa nahiin jaante।)
एक अनपढ़ भी अपनी मेहनत से बहुत कुछ हासिल कर सकता है।
Even an illiterate person can achieve a lot through hard work.
(ek anpadh bhii apnii mehnat se bahut kuchh haasil kar saktaa hai।)
पढ़ा-लिखा हो या अनपढ़, ईमानदारी सबसे ज़रूरी है।
Whether one is educated or illiterate, honesty is what matters most.
(padhaa-likhaa ho yaa anpadh, iimaandaarii sabse zaroorii hai।)
मेरी दादी अनपढ़ थीं, फिर भी उन्हें दुनिया भर की बातें पता थीं।
My grandmother was an illiterate woman, yet she knew about all sorts of things.
(merii daadii anpadh thiin, phir bhii unhen duniyaa bhar kii baaten pataa thiin।)
अगर वह अनपढ़ नहीं होता तो आज इतनी दिक्कतें नहीं झेलनी पड़तीं।
If he weren't an illiterate man, he wouldn't have to face so many difficulties today.
(agar vah anpadh nahiin hotaa to aaj itnii dikkten nahiin jhelnii padtiin।)
इस योजना का मक़सद अनपढ़ों को साक्षर बनाना है।
The purpose of this scheme is to make illiterate people literate.
(is yojnaa kaa maqsad anapdhon ko saakshar banaanaa hai।)
कहते हैं, अनपढ़ को ठगना आसान होता है।
They say it's easy to cheat an illiterate person.
(kahte hain, anpadh ko thagnaa aasaan hotaa hai।)
अनपढ़ों के लिए रात्रि पाठशालाएँ खोली जा रही हैं।
Night schools are being opened for illiterate people.
(anapdhon ke lie raatri paathshaalaaen kholii jaa rahii hain।)
उसे अनपढ़ मत समझो, उसने ज़िंदगी से बहुत कुछ सीखा है।
Don't think of him as an illiterate fool -- he has learned a lot from life.
(use anpadh mat samjho, usne zindgii se bahut kuchh siikhaa hai।)
एक अनपढ़ की बुद्धि किसी पढ़े-लिखे से कम नहीं होती।
An illiterate person's intelligence is no less than that of an educated one.
(ek anpadh kii buddhi kisii padhe-likhe se kam nahiin hotii।)
वह अनपढ़ होते हुए भी हिसाब-किताब में माहिर था।
Despite being an illiterate man, he was skilled at accounts.
(vah anpadh hote hue bhii hisaab-kitaab men maahir thaa।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
अनपढ़
(anpadh)
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct):
अनपढ़
(anpadh)
(sg.m/f.oblique):
अनपढ़
(anpadh)
(pl.m/f.direct):
अनपढ़ें
(anapdhen)
(pl.m/f.oblique):
अनपढ़ों
(anapdhon)