डाक (daak)

noun डाक (daak) is 'mail/post' -- the system and the items sent through it, as in डाकघर (daakghar, 'post office').
Sense 1 : mail, post (the system or the items sent)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: पत्राचार (patraachaar, correspondence, more formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Older Delhi households still say डाकिया आया (daakiyaa aayaa, 'the postman came') even though most daily communication has moved to phones -- डाक (daak) now mainly survives in words like डाकघर (daakghar, 'post office') and स्पीड डाक (spiid daak, 'speed post', India's expedited mail service).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse डाक (daak) with पत्र (patr, 'a letter') -- डाक (daak) is the general mail/postal system or a batch of mail, not one individual letter. 2) डाक से भेजना (daak se bhejnaa, 'to send by mail') uses से (se) for the means, which some learners want to mark with a different postposition.
Sample Sentences:
आज सुबह डाकिया डाक दे गया। The postman dropped off the mail this morning.
(aaj subah daakiyaa daak de gayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
हमारे घर हर हफ्ते बहुत डाक आती है। A lot of mail comes to our house every week.
(hamaare ghar har haphte bahut daak aatii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह पार्सल स्पीड डाक से भेजा गया है। This parcel has been sent by speed post.
(yah paarsal spiid daak se bhejaa gayaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
कृपया यह चिट्ठी डाक से भेज दीजिए। Please send this letter by post.
(kripyaa yah chitthii daak se bhej diijie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर डाक समय पर पहुँच जाए तो अच्छा होगा। It would be good if the mail arrives on time.
(agar daak samay par pahunch jaae to achchhaa hogaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
पहले डाक आने में हफ्तों लग जाते थे। Earlier, it used to take weeks for the mail to arrive.
(pahle daak aane men haphton lag jaate the।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
डाकिया हर सुबह डाक बाँट रहा है। The postman is distributing the mail every morning.
(daakiyaa har subah daak baant rahaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर इंटरनेट न होता तो हम अब भी डाक पर निर्भर होते। If the internet didn't exist, we would still be dependent on the mail.
(agar intarnet n hotaa to ham ab bhii daak par nirbhar hote।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
यह पत्र डाकघर से ही डाक में डाला गया था। This letter was put into the mail right at the post office.
(yah patr daakghar se hii daak men daalaa gayaa thaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
सरकारी दफ्तरों में आज भी ज़रूरी काम डाक के ज़रिए होते हैं। In government offices, important work is still done through the mail even today.
(sarkaarii daphtron men aaj bhii zaroorii kaam daak ke zarie hote hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): डाक (daak)
(sg.f.oblique): डाक (daak)
(pl.f.direct): डाकें (daaken)
(pl.f.oblique): डाकों (daakon)