गिरजाघर (girjaaghar)

noun A single-sense noun meaning 'church' (the building), combining गिरजा (girjaa, church, from Portuguese via Hindi/Urdu) with घर (ghar, house).
Sense 1 : church (the building)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: चर्च (charch, more common in casual speech), गिरजा (girjaa, shorter form of the same word)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will see गिरजाघर (girjaaghar) on signboards and in writing, especially for older, architecturally notable churches like those in Old Delhi or Goa, while spoken Hindi in Delhi-NCR leans toward the simpler चर्च (charch). The घर (ghar, house) ending places it alongside other religious-building compounds like मंदिर (mandir) and गुरुद्वारा (gurudvaaraa) in the way Hindi names sacred spaces as 'houses.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often default to चर्च (charch) since it is more common in everyday city speech; गिरजाघर (girjaaghar) is the fuller, slightly more formal/written term for the same building. 2) It refers only to the physical structure, not to the institution or the service, unlike some English uses of 'church.'
Sample Sentences:
पुरानी दिल्ली में एक सौ साल पुराना गिरजाघर है। There is a hundred-year-old church in Old Delhi.
(puraanii dillii men ek sau saal puraanaa girjaaghar hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह गिरजाघर अंग्रेज़ों के ज़माने में बनाया गया था। This church was built during the British era.
(yah girjaaghar angrezon ke zamaane men banaayaa gayaa thaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
गोवा के गिरजाघर अपनी पुर्तगाली शैली की वजह से मशहूर हैं। The churches of Goa are famous for their Portuguese-style architecture.
(govaa ke girjaaghar apnii purtgaalii shailii kii vajah se mashahoor hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
हम हर क्रिसमस पर उस गिरजाघर में जाते हैं। We go to that church every Christmas.
(ham har krismas par us girjaaghar men jaate hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुमने वह गिरजाघर देखा है जो पहाड़ी पर बना है? Have you seen that church which is built on the hill?
(kyaa tumne vah girjaaghar dekhaa hai jo pahaadii par banaa hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर यह गिरजाघर तोड़ा जाता, तो शहर अपना इतिहास खो देता। If this church were demolished, the city would lose its history.
(agar yah girjaaghar todaa jaataa, to shahar apnaa itihaas kho detaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Passive
गिरजाघर की घंटियाँ सुबह-सुबह बजने लगती हैं। The church bells start ringing early in the morning.
(girjaaghar kii ghantiyaan subah-subah bajne lagtii hain।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उस गली के आखिर में एक सफ़ेद गिरजाघर खड़ा है। A white church stands at the end of that lane.
(us galii ke aakhir men ek safed girjaaghar khadaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर वक़्त मिला, तो हम शहर का सबसे पुराना गिरजाघर देखने जाएँगे। If we get time, we will go see the city's oldest church.
(agar vaqt milaa, to ham shahar kaa sabse puraanaa girjaaghar dekhne jaaenge।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
कृपया गिरजाघर के अंदर जूते उतार कर जाएँ। Please take off your shoes before going inside the church.
(kripyaa girjaaghar ke andar joote utaar kar jaaen।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): गिरजाघर (girjaaghar)
(sg.m.oblique): गिरजाघर (girjaaghar)
(pl.m.direct): गिरजाघर (girjaaghar)
(pl.m.oblique): गिरजाघरों (girjaaghron)