नौकर (naukar)
noun
A single core sense: a servant or domestic employee. The related word नौकरी (naukrii, 'job/employment') shares the same root but means the job itself, not the person.
Sense
1
:
servant, domestic help, employee
noun, masculine
Synonyms: नौकरानी (naukraanii, female servant, not interchangeable), सेवक (sevak, formal/literary), दास (daas, literary, 'slave/servant'), कर्मचारी (karmchaarii, employee, broader/more formal use for office staff)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In many Indian households, especially in cities like Delhi, having a नौकर (naukar) or domestic help for cooking, cleaning, or errands is common across the middle class, not just the wealthy -- so the word carries none of the rare, luxury connotation 'servant' might have in English. The related नौकरी (naukrii, 'job') is one of the most common words in daily conversation, as in नौकरी ढूँढना (naukrii dhoondhnaa, 'to look for a job'), and it is worth learning alongside नौकर (naukar) to keep the two straight.
Common Mistakes: 1) नौकर (naukar) refers to a male servant or is used generically for 'domestic help' in a household; for a female servant, नौकरानी (naukraanii) is the distinct word, not a feminine inflection of नौकर (naukar). 2) Learners sometimes use नौकर (naukar) loosely for any employee, but in everyday speech it specifically evokes household help (cook, cleaner, driver) rather than office colleagues, for whom कर्मचारी (karmchaarii) or स्टाफ़ (staaf) is more natural.
Sample Sentences:
हमारे घर में एक नौकर काम करता है।
A servant works in our house.
(hamaare ghar men ek naukar kaam kartaa hai।)
नौकर सुबह-सुबह बर्तन धो रहा है।
The servant is washing the dishes early in the morning.
(naukar subah-subah bartan dho rahaa hai।)
पिछले महीने हमने एक नया नौकर रखा था।
We hired a new servant last month.
(pichhle mahiine hamne ek nayaa naukar rakhaa thaa।)
नौकर से कहो कि सामान ऊपर पहुँचा दे।
Tell the servant to take the things upstairs.
(naukar se kaho ki saamaan oopar pahunchaa de।)
अगर नौकर आज नहीं आएगा, तो सफाई कौन करेगा?
If the servant doesn't come today, then who will do the cleaning?
(agar naukar aaj nahiin aaegaa, to saphaaii kaun karegaa?)
काश हमारे पास भी कोई अच्छा नौकर होता।
I wish we too had a good servant.
(kaash hamaare paas bhii koii achchhaa naukar hotaa।)
साहब चाहते हैं कि नौकर समय पर आए।
The master wants the servant to come on time.
(saahab chaahte hain ki naukar samay par aae।)
इस बंगले में तीन नौकर रखे गए हैं।
Three servants have been employed in this bungalow.
(is bangle men tiin naukar rakhe gae hain।)
बचपन में हमारे घर एक नौकर हुआ करता था जो हमें कहानियाँ सुनाता था।
In my childhood, we used to have a servant at home who would tell us stories.
(bachpan men hamaare ghar ek naukar huaa kartaa thaa jo hamen kahaaniyaan sunaataa thaa।)
मालिक अपने नौकर के साथ बहुत सख्ती से पेश आता था।
The master used to treat his servant very harshly.
(maalik apne naukar ke saath bahut sakhtii se pesh aataa thaa।)
वह नौकर नहीं, बल्कि परिवार का हिस्सा बन गया था।
He hadn't remained a servant, but had become part of the family.
(vah naukar nahiin, balki parivaar kaa hissaa ban gayaa thaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
नौकर
(naukar)
(sg.m.oblique):
नौकर
(naukar)
(pl.m.direct):
नौकर
(naukar)
(pl.m.oblique):
नौकरों
(naukron)