गुलाबी (gulaabii)
adjective
Primarily the color adjective 'pink,' with a common figurative extension describing a pleasant chill in the air or a rosy/tipsy glow -- both senses trace back to the same rose-tinted image.
Sense
1
:
pink (color)
adjective
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: गुलाबी (gulaabii) comes from गुलाब (gulaab, rose), so Hindi literally calls the color 'rose-colored' rather than naming it independently the way English does. Jaipur is nicknamed गुलाबी शहर (gulaabii shahar, the Pink City) for its rose-tinted old-city buildings, which is a handy cultural peg for this word.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to inflect गुलाबी (gulaabii) like a variable adjective (expecting a masculine form), but it stays गुलाबी (gulaabii) regardless of the noun's gender or number -- गुलाबी कमीज़ (gulaabii kamiiz, pink shirt) and गुलाबी दुपट्टा (gulaabii dupattaa, pink scarf) both use the same form.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे गुलाबी रंग बहुत पसंद है।
I like the color pink a lot.
(mujhe gulaabii rang bahut pasand hai।)
उसने गुलाबी कुर्ता पहना है।
She is wearing a pink kurta.
(usne gulaabii kurtaa pahnaa hai।)
जयपुर को गुलाबी शहर कहा जाता है।
Jaipur is called the Pink City.
(jaypur ko gulaabii shahar kahaa jaataa hai।)
क्या तुम्हें ये गुलाबी जूते पसंद आएंगे?
Will you like these pink shoes?
(kyaa tumhen ye gulaabii joote pasand aaenge?)
दीवारों को गुलाबी रंग से रंग दो।
Paint the walls pink.
(diivaaron ko gulaabii rang se rang do।)
अगर मुझसे पूछा जाता, तो मैं गुलाबी पर्दे चुनता।
If I had been asked, I would have chosen pink curtains.
(agar mujhse poochhaa jaataa, to main gulaabii parde chuntaa।)
सूरज डूबते वक्त आसमान गुलाबी हो जाता है।
The sky turns pink when the sun sets.
(sooraj doobte vakt aasmaan gulaabii ho jaataa hai।)
शायद उसे गुलाबी साड़ी ज्यादा जमे।
Maybe the pink sari suits her better.
(shaayad use gulaabii saadii jyaadaa jame।)
बचपन में मेरा पसंदीदा रंग गुलाबी था।
In my childhood, my favorite color was pink.
(bachpan men meraa pasandiidaa rang gulaabii thaa।)
कृपया गुलाबी फूलों वाला डिज़ाइन ही चुनिए।
Please choose only the design with pink flowers.
(kripyaa gulaabii phoolon vaalaa dizaain hii chunie।)
नई दुल्हन की चूड़ियाँ गुलाबी रंग की थीं।
The new bride's bangles were pink in color.
(naii dulhan kii choodiyaan gulaabii rang kii thiin।)
Sense
2
:
pleasantly mild/crisp (of cold weather)
adjective Almost always modifies ठंड (thand, cold) or जाड़ा (jaadaa, winter) in the fixed phrase गुलाबी ठंड (gulaabii thand, pleasant/crisp cold) -- it is not used to describe heat or general weather.
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: गुलाबी ठंड (gulaabii thand) describes that lovely early-winter chill in Delhi-NCR -- sweater weather, morning fog, evening bonfires -- and carries real affection; people look forward to it rather than dreading it, the opposite of how 'cold' usually reads in English.
Common Mistakes: 1) Do not extend this to heat or rain -- गुलाबी (gulaabii) in this sense is reserved for a mild, invigorating chill, not warmth or humidity; 2) it praises the cold rather than complaining about it, which surprises learners used to English default-negative framing of cold weather.
Sample Sentences:
दिल्ली में अक्टूबर के आखिर तक गुलाबी ठंड शुरू हो जाती है।
In Delhi, the pleasant winter chill sets in by the end of October.
(dillii men aktoobar ke aakhir tak gulaabii thand shuroo ho jaatii hai।)
कल रात असली गुलाबी ठंड का एहसास हुआ।
Last night I really felt that lovely winter chill.
(kal raat aslii gulaabii thand kaa ehsaas huaa।)
इस गुलाबी ठंड में छत पर बैठकर चाय पीना कितना अच्छा लगता है!
How lovely it feels to sit on the roof and drink tea in this crisp winter chill!
(is gulaabii thand men chhat par baithkar chaay piinaa kitnaa achchhaa lagtaa hai!)
अगले हफ्ते से गुलाबी ठंड और बढ़ जाएगी।
From next week, the pleasant winter chill will increase further.
(agle haphte se gulaabii thand aur badh jaaegii।)
अगर बारिश हो जाती, तो अभी गुलाबी ठंड और भी सुहानी लगती।
If it had rained, this pleasant winter chill would feel even more delightful right now.
(agar baarish ho jaatii, to abhii gulaabii thand aur bhii suhaanii lagtii।)
काश इस गुलाबी ठंड में कुछ दिन और छुट्टी मिल जाती।
I wish I could get a few more days off in this pleasant winter chill.
(kaash is gulaabii thand men kuchh din aur chhuttii mil jaatii।)
इस गुलाबी ठंड का मज़ा लीजिए, क्योंकि यह ज़्यादा दिन नहीं टिकती।
Please enjoy this pleasant winter chill, because it doesn't last very long.
(is gulaabii thand kaa mazaa liijie, kyonki yah zyaadaa din nahiin tiktii।)
बच्चे गुलाबी ठंड की शाम में पार्क में खेल रहे हैं।
The children are playing in the park on this evening of pleasant winter chill.
(bachche gulaabii thand kii shaam men paark men khel rahe hain।)
गुलाबी ठंड में अलाव के इर्द-गिर्द बैठकर बातें करने का अपना ही मज़ा है।
There's a special joy in sitting around a bonfire chatting during the pleasant winter chill.
(gulaabii thand men alaav ke ird-gird baithkar baaten karne kaa apnaa hii mazaa hai।)
उन दिनों गुलाबी ठंड की चादर पूरे शहर पर फैली हुई थी।
In those days, a blanket of mild winter chill lay spread over the whole city.
(un dinon gulaabii thand kii chaadar poore shahar par phailii huii thii।)
सुबह की गुलाबी ठंड में कुहासे से ढकी सड़कें किसी सपने जैसी लगती थीं।
In the crisp morning chill, the fog-covered streets used to feel like something out of a dream.
(subah kii gulaabii thand men kuhaase se dhakii sadken kisii sapne jaisii lagtii thiin।)
Sense
3
:
tipsy, mildly drunk (figurative, colloquial)
adjective Used with होना (honaa) or a form describing a person's state, e.g. आँखें गुलाबी होना (aankhen gulaabii honaa, 'eyes to turn pink/rosy,' implying mild intoxication).
Synonyms: नशे में (nashe men, phrase, describes the same tipsy state)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This sense plays on the same rosy-glow image as the color and the weather senses -- a slight flush in the cheeks or eyes after a drink -- so all three meanings of गुलाबी (gulaabii) share one underlying picture of a soft pink tint.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense is colloquial and mostly describes a mild, pleasant buzz rather than heavy drunkenness -- learners should not use it for someone seriously intoxicated, where नशे में धुत (nashe men dhut) is more appropriate.
Sample Sentences:
दो पैग के बाद ही वो गुलाबी हो गया।
He got tipsy after just two pegs.
(do paig ke baad hii vo gulaabii ho gayaa।)
पार्टी में सब थोड़े गुलाबी हो चुके थे।
Everyone at the party was already a bit tipsy.
(paartii men sab thode gulaabii ho chuke the।)
उसकी आँखें गुलाबी लग रही थीं, लगता है पी रखी है।
His eyes looked tipsy-pink, seems like he's had a drink.
(uskii aankhen gulaabii lag rahii thiin, lagtaa hai pii rakhii hai।)
एक-दो ड्रिंक लेकर वो अक्सर गुलाबी हो जाता है।
After a drink or two, he often gets a little tipsy.
(ek-do drink lekar vo aksar gulaabii ho jaataa hai।)
अगर वो थोड़ी और पीता तो पूरा गुलाबी हो जाता।
If he had drunk a little more, he would have been completely tipsy.
(agar vo thodii aur piitaa to pooraa gulaabii ho jaataa।)
इतनी जल्दी गुलाबी मत हो जा, अभी तो शाम शुरू हुई है।
Don't get tipsy so soon, the evening has just started.
(itnii jaldii gulaabii mat ho jaa, abhii to shaam shuroo huii hai।)
शायद वो गुलाबी हो गया है, देख कैसे हँस रहा है।
Maybe he's gotten tipsy, look how he's laughing.
(shaayad vo gulaabii ho gayaa hai, dekh kaise hans rahaa hai।)
शादी में दुल्हे का दोस्त थोड़ा गुलाबी होकर डांस कर रहा था।
The groom's friend was dancing at the wedding, a bit tipsy.
(shaadii men dulhe kaa dost thodaa gulaabii hokar daans kar rahaa thaa।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
गुलाबी
(gulaabii)