जंगल (jangal)
noun/adjective
A single-sense everyday noun meaning 'forest/jungle,' also used figuratively for any wild, overgrown, or chaotic mess of a place.
Sense
1
:
forest, jungle, wilderness
noun, masculine
Synonyms: वन (van, formal), अरण्य (arany, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: जंगल (jangal) is the word Delhi folks use for everything from a dense forest to an overgrown park corner nobody has trimmed in years. It's also the go-to metaphor for chaos: लोग कहते हैं यह तो जंगल राज है (yah to jangal raaj hai, 'this is total lawlessness/jungle rule') when describing a place with no order or authority.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for वन (van) as the default word, but जंगल (jangal) is what people actually say in conversation -- वन (van) shows up mostly in signage, forest-department names, and formal writing. 2) जंगल (jangal) is masculine, so watch agreement: बड़ा जंगल (badaa jangal, 'big forest'), not बड़ी.
Sample Sentences:
दिल्ली के पास कई बड़े जंगल हैं।
There are several large forests near Delhi.
(dillii ke paas kaii bade jangal hain।)
हम पिछले साल जंगल में गए थे।
We went to the forest last year.
(ham pichhle saal jangal men gae the।)
शेर जंगल में शिकार कर रहा है।
The lion is hunting in the forest.
(sher jangal men shikaar kar rahaa hai।)
अगर जंगल कट गए, तो जानवर कहाँ जाएँगे?
If the forests are cut down, where will the animals go?
(agar jangal kat gae, to jaanvar kahaan jaaenge?)
जंगल में मत जाओ, रात हो चुकी है।
Don't go into the forest, it's already night.
(jangal men mat jaao, raat ho chukii hai।)
अगर वह जंगल में रहता, तो कभी शहर नहीं लौटता।
If he had lived in the forest, he would never have returned to the city.
(agar vah jangal men rahtaa, to kabhii shahar nahiin lauttaa।)
यहाँ तो जंगल राज है, कोई कानून मानता ही नहीं।
It's total jungle rule here, no one follows the law at all.
(yahaan to jangal raaj hai, koii kaanoon maantaa hii nahiin।)
पेड़ों की कटाई से जंगल लगातार सिकुड़ते जा रहे हैं।
Due to tree-cutting, forests are continuously shrinking.
(pedon kii kataaii se jangal lagaataar sikudte jaa rahe hain।)
सरकार द्वारा जंगल को संरक्षित क्षेत्र घोषित किया गया।
The forest was declared a protected area by the government.
(sarkaar dvaaraa jangal ko sanrakshit kshetr ghoshit kiyaa gayaa।)
काश हमारे शहर के पास भी इतना घना जंगल होता।
I wish our city also had such a dense forest nearby.
(kaash hamaare shahar ke paas bhii itnaa ghanaa jangal hotaa।)
जंगल की गहराइयों में अजीब सन्नाटा फैला था।
A strange silence had spread through the depths of the forest.
(jangal kii gahraaiyon men ajiib sannaataa phailaa thaa।)
Sense
2
:
wild, uncultivated (of plants/animals), rough or uncouth (of a person)
adjective This adjectival use is really the derived form जंगली (janglii); जंगल (jangal) itself is not typically used attributively without that suffix.
Synonyms: जंगली (janglii)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: जंगली (janglii) carries a nice double life: for animals or plants it's neutral ('wild, undomesticated'), but aimed at a person it becomes a scolding word for rude or uncivilized behavior -- a mother might snap जंगली मत बनो (janglii mat bano, 'don't act like a savage') at a child misbehaving at the table.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to use जंगल (jangal) directly as an adjective before a noun, e.g. to mean 'wild animal' -- the correct word is जंगली जानवर (janglii jaanvar, 'wild animal'), not जंगल जानवर.
Sample Sentences:
यह एक जंगली पौधा है, इसे किसी ने नहीं लगाया।
This is a wild plant, nobody planted it.
(yah ek janglii paudhaa hai, ise kisii ne nahiin lagaayaa।)
जंगली जानवर इंसानों से डरते हैं।
Wild animals are afraid of humans.
(janglii jaanvar insaanon se darte hain।)
मेज़ पर खाना गिराते हुए माँ ने कहा, "जंगली मत बनो!"
As he spilled food on the table, his mother said, "Don't act like a savage!"
(mez par khaanaa giraate hue maan ne kahaa, "janglii mat bano!")
जंगली मत बनो, चम्मच से खाओ।
Don't be uncouth, eat with a spoon.
(janglii mat bano, chammach se khaao।)
बगीचे में कुछ जंगली फूल भी उग आए हैं।
Some wild flowers have also sprung up in the garden.
(bagiiche men kuchh janglii phool bhii ug aae hain।)
अगर वह इतनी जंगली हरकतें न करता, तो सब उसे पसंद करते।
If he didn't behave so crudely, everyone would like him.
(agar vah itnii janglii harakten n kartaa, to sab use pasand karte।)
मेहमानों के सामने उसका जंगली व्यवहार देखकर सब शर्मिंदा हो गए।
Seeing his uncouth behavior in front of the guests, everyone got embarrassed.
(mehmaanon ke saamne uskaa janglii vyavahaar dekhkar sab sharmindaa ho gae।)
चिड़ियाघर में पालतू और जंगली दोनों तरह के पक्षी रखे जाते हैं।
Both domestic and wild kinds of birds are kept in the zoo.
(chidiyaaghar men paaltoo aur janglii donon tarah ke pakshii rakhe jaate hain।)
क्या तुम कभी बड़े होकर अपनी जंगली आदतें छोड़ोगे?
Will you ever grow up and give up your uncivilized habits?
(kyaa tum kabhii bade hokar apnii janglii aadten chhodoge?)
किसान ने खेत की जंगली घास साफ करवाई।
The farmer had the wild grass in the field cleared.
(kisaan ne khet kii janglii ghaas saaph karvaaii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
जंगल
(jangal)
(sg.m.oblique):
जंगल
(jangal)
(pl.m.direct):
जंगल
(jangal)
(pl.m.oblique):
जंगलों
(janglon)
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m):
जंगल
(jangal)
(pl.m):
जंगले
(jangle)
(sg.f):
जंगली
(janglii)
(pl.f):
जंगली
(janglii)