जबड़ा (jabdaa)

noun A concrete body-part noun meaning 'jaw'; it also extends naturally to the jaw or mouthparts of animals and, in mechanical contexts, to jaw-like gripping parts of tools.
Sense 1 : jaw (human or animal)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: हनु (hanu, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Doctors and dentists use जबड़ा (jabdaa) very routinely -- if you go to a दांतों का डॉक्टर (daanton kaa doktar, 'dentist') in India, expect to hear this word often when they talk about your bite or alignment. It is also common in wrestling/boxing commentary and in描述 fights (a punch 'landing on the जबड़ा').
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often default to मुँह (munh) for 'mouth/jaw' generally; जबड़ा (jabdaa) is specifically the bony jaw structure, used when talking about biting, chewing, or a punch/injury to that part of the face, not the mouth as a whole. 2) In the sense of 'strong jaw' or 'jaw dropped in shock,' the verb pairing matters: जबड़ा खुला रह गया (jabdaa khulaa rah gayaa, 'the jaw stayed open [in shock]') is the idiomatic way to express astonishment, not a literal translation of 'jaw dropped.'
Sample Sentences:
मुक्केबाज़ का घूँसा सीधा उसके जबड़े पर लगा। The boxer's punch landed straight on his jaw.
(mukkebaaz kaa ghoonsaa siidhaa uske jabde par lagaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि मेरा जबड़ा थोड़ा टेढ़ा है। The doctor said my jaw is a little crooked.
(doktar ne kahaa ki meraa jabdaa thodaa tedhaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
गिरने से उसका जबड़ा टूट गया। His jaw broke from the fall.
(girne se uskaa jabdaa toot gayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बर्फ खाते वक़्त मेरा जबड़ा दुखने लगता है। My jaw starts to hurt whenever I eat ice.
(barph khaate vaqt meraa jabdaa dukhne lagtaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कृपया अपना जबड़ा थोड़ा खोलिए, मुझे अंदर देखना है। Please open your jaw a little, I need to look inside.
(kripyaa apnaa jabdaa thodaa kholie, mujhe andar dekhnaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
एक्स-रे में साफ़ दिख रहा है कि जबड़े की हड्डी में फ्रैक्चर है। It's clearly visible in the X-ray that there is a fracture in the jawbone.
(eks-re men saaf dikh rahaa hai ki jabde kii haddii men phraikchar hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शेर ने अपने शिकार को जबड़े में जकड़ लिया। The lion clamped its prey in its jaws.
(sher ne apne shikaar ko jabde men jakad liyaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर वह हेलमेट पहनता तो उसका जबड़ा नहीं टूटता। If he had worn a helmet, his jaw wouldn't have broken.
(agar vah helmet pahantaa to uskaa jabdaa nahiin toottaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
ऐसा एक और घूँसा पड़ा तो तेरा जबड़ा हिल जाएगा। One more punch like that and your jaw will loosen right up.
(aisaa ek aur ghoonsaa padaa to teraa jabdaa hil jaaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
मरीज़ का जबड़ा सर्जरी से ठीक किया गया। The patient's jaw was fixed through surgery.
(mariiz kaa jabdaa sarjrii se thiik kiyaa gayaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
बंदर अपने जबड़े से केले का छिलका फाड़ रहा था। The monkey was tearing the banana peel with its jaw.
(bandar apne jabde se kele kaa chhilkaa phaad rahaa thaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : jaw-like gripping part of a tool or machine (e.g. a wrench, vice, or pliers)
noun, masculine This sense extends the body-part meaning metaphorically to the gripping parts of mechanical tools, paralleling English 'jaw' of a wrench or vice.
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: You will hear mechanics and hardware-shop workers use जबड़ा (jabdaa) for the gripping ends of a plas (wrench) or vice -- a nice example of how Hindi, like English, reaches for the body to name machine parts.
Sample Sentences:
इस पाने का जबड़ा थोड़ा ढीला हो गया है। The jaw of this wrench has become a bit loose.
(is paane kaa jabdaa thodaa dhiilaa ho gayaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
जबड़े को कस दो, नहीं तो पाइप फिसल जाएगा। Tighten the jaw, otherwise the pipe will slip out.
(jabde ko kas do, nahiin to paaip phisal jaaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
वाइस के जबड़ों के बीच लोहे की छड़ फंसी हुई है। The iron rod is stuck between the jaws of the vice.
(vaais ke jabdon ke biich lohe kii chhad phansii huii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पुरानी पकड़ के जबड़े इतने घिस गए हैं कि अब कुछ पकड़ में नहीं आता। The jaws of the old pliers have worn down so much that nothing stays gripped anymore.
(puraanii pakad ke jabde itne ghis gae hain ki ab kuchh pakad men nahiin aataa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मिस्त्री ने पाने के जबड़े में बोल्ट फंसाकर घुमाया। The mechanic fitted the bolt into the wrench's jaw and turned it.
(mistrii ne paane ke jabde men bolt phansaakar ghumaayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर जबड़े ठीक से न कसे जाएँ तो औज़ार अपना काम नहीं कर पाता। If the jaws are not tightened properly, the tool cannot do its job.
(agar jabde thiik se n kase jaaen to auzaar apnaa kaam nahiin kar paataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
इस मशीन के जबड़े हाइड्रोलिक दबाव से खुलते और बंद होते हैं। This machine's jaws open and close using hydraulic pressure.
(is mashiin ke jabde haaidrolik dabaav se khulte aur band hote hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर पाने का जबड़ा थोड़ा बड़ा होता, तो यह नट आसानी से खुल जाता। If the wrench's jaw were a little bigger, this nut would come off easily.
(agar paane kaa jabdaa thodaa badaa hotaa, to yah nat aasaanii se khul jaataa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): जबड़ा (jabdaa)
(sg.m.oblique): जबड़े (jabde)
(pl.m.direct): जबड़े (jabde)
(pl.m.oblique): जबड़ों (jabdon)