मुँह (munh)

noun Literally 'mouth/face,' but its real value is in the huge number of everyday idioms built on it -- from politeness ('keep your mouth shut') to emotion ('face fell') to attitude ('mouth on him'). Also spelled मुंह (munh) with a regular nasal instead of the chandrabindu -- both are common.

Sense 1 : mouth (body part)

noun, masculine

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: Elders in North India will often scold a child with मुँह बंद रखो (munh band rakho, 'keep your mouth shut') -- मुँह (munh) stands in for 'speaking' as much as for the physical mouth in daily speech.

Common Mistakes: 1) मुँह खोलना (munh kholnaa) literally 'to open the mouth' is often used for speaking up rather than just the physical act -- context decides which sense is meant.

Sample Sentences:

उसके मुँह में छाला हो गया है। He has got a sore in his mouth.

(uske munh men chhaalaa ho gayaa hai।)

डॉक्टर ने कहा, अपना मुँह खोलो। The doctor said, open your mouth.

(doktar ne kahaa, apnaa munh kholo।)

बच्चा खाना खाते हुए अपना पूरा मुँह भर लेता है। The child fills his whole mouth while eating food.

(bachchaa khaanaa khaate hue apnaa pooraa munh bhar letaa hai।)

माँ बच्चे का मुँह धो रही थी। The mother was washing the child's mouth.

(maan bachche kaa munh dho rahii thii।)

दादी ने गुस्से में कहा, मुँह बंद रखो। Grandmother angrily said, keep your mouth shut.

(daadii ne gusse men kahaa, munh band rakho।)

अगर उसका मुँह इतना बड़ा नहीं होता, तो वह इतना खाना एक साथ नहीं खा पाता। If his mouth were not so big, he would not be able to eat so much food at once.

(agar uskaa munh itnaa badaa nahiin hotaa, to vah itnaa khaanaa ek saath nahiin khaa paataa।)

मरीज़ का मुँह ऑपरेशन के बाद सूज गया था। The patient's mouth had swollen up after the operation.

(mariiz kaa munh opreshan ke baad sooj gayaa thaa।)

कृपया खाना खाते समय अपना मुँह ढँक कर रखें। Please keep your mouth covered while eating food.

(kripyaa khaanaa khaate samay apnaa munh dhank kar rakhen।)

डेंटिस्ट ने मरीज़ का मुँह अच्छी तरह जाँचा। The dentist examined the patient's mouth thoroughly.

(dentist ne mariiz kaa munh achchhii tarah jaanchaa।)

मरीज़ का मुँह इतना दर्द कर रहा है कि वह ठीक से बोल भी नहीं पा रहा। The patient's mouth hurts so much that he isn't even able to speak properly.

(mariiz kaa munh itnaa dard kar rahaa hai ki vah thiik se bol bhii nahiin paa rahaa।)

उसका मुँह ठंड से नीला पड़ गया था। His mouth had turned blue from the cold.

(uskaa munh thand se niilaa pad gayaa thaa।)

Sense 2 : face (as the seat of expression)

noun, masculine

Synonyms: चेहरा (chehraa)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: Where English says 'his face fell,' Hindi says मुँह उतर गया (munh utar gayaa, 'the face came down') -- the body-as-agent framing is very typical of how Hindi talks about emotion showing on the face.

Common Mistakes: 1) मुँह उतरना (munh utarnaa, 'the face falls') describes a visible change of expression from disappointment -- learners sometimes reach for चेहरा (chehraa) here, but मुँह (munh) is the natural choice in this idiom.

Sample Sentences:

उसकी बात सुनकर मेरा मुँह उतर गया। Hearing what he said, my face fell.

(uskii baat sunkar meraa munh utar gayaa।)

उसके मुँह पर खुशी साफ झलक रही थी। Happiness was clearly showing on her face.

(uske munh par khushii saaph jhalak rahii thii।)

उसका मुँह देखकर ही पता चल जाता है कि वह क्या सोच रहा है। Just by looking at his face you can tell what he's thinking.

(uskaa munh dekhkar hii pataa chal jaataa hai ki vah kyaa soch rahaa hai।)

अपना मुँह इतना उदास मत बनाओ, सब ठीक हो जाएगा। Don't make such a sad face, everything will be fine.

(apnaa munh itnaa udaas mat banaao, sab thiik ho jaaegaa।)

अगर उसे सच पता चलता, तो उसका मुँह देखने लायक होता। If she had found out the truth, her face would have been a sight to see.

(agar use sach pataa chaltaa, to uskaa munh dekhne laayak hotaa।)

डर के मारे उसका मुँह सफेद हो गया। His face turned white with fear.

(dar ke maare uskaa munh saphed ho gayaa।)

शायद उसका मुँह देखकर ही तुम्हें अंदाज़ा लग जाए कि बात गंभीर है। Perhaps just by seeing his face you'll guess that the matter is serious.

(shaayad uskaa munh dekhkar hii tumhen andaazaa lag jaae ki baat gambhiir hai।)

उसका मुँह गुस्से से लाल हो रहा था। His face was turning red with anger.

(uskaa munh gusse se laal ho rahaa thaa।)

कवि ने उसके मुँह की कोमलता को चाँद से जोड़ा है। The poet has likened the softness of her face to the moon.

(kavi ne uske munh kii komaltaa ko chaand se jodaa hai।)

उसका मुँह अचानक उतर गया जब उसे नतीजा पता चला। His face suddenly fell when he learned the result.

(uskaa munh achaanak utar gayaa jab use natiijaa pataa chalaa।)

उम्मीदवार का मुँह पूरे भाषण के दौरान गंभीर बना रहा। The candidate's face remained serious throughout the speech.

(ummiidvaar kaa munh poore bhaashan ke dauraan gambhiir banaa rahaa।)

Sense 3 : opening or mouth of an object (figurative extension)

noun, masculine

Synonyms: मुँहाना (munhaanaa, used specifically for a river's mouth)

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: Just as English calls the opening of a bottle its 'mouth,' Hindi extends मुँह (munh) the same way -- बोतल का मुँह (botal kaa munh, 'the mouth of the bottle') is completely natural and not at all poetic-sounding.

Sample Sentences:

बोतल का मुँह बंद करो, सारा पानी गिर जाएगा। Close the mouth of the bottle, otherwise all the water will spill.

(botal kaa munh band karo, saaraa paanii gir jaaegaa।)

इस बैग का मुँह इतना छोटा है कि किताब अंदर नहीं जा रही। The opening of this bag is so small that the book won't go inside.

(is baig kaa munh itnaa chhotaa hai ki kitaab andar nahiin jaa rahii।)

नदी का मुँह जहाँ समुद्र से मिलता है, वहाँ का नज़ारा बहुत सुंदर होता है। Where the mouth of the river meets the sea, the view there is very beautiful.

(nadii kaa munh jahaan samudr se miltaa hai, vahaan kaa nazaaraa bahut sundar hotaa hai।)

थैले का मुँह खोलकर देखो, अंदर क्या रखा है। Open the mouth of the sack and see what's kept inside.

(thaile kaa munh kholkar dekho, andar kyaa rakhaa hai।)

जग का मुँह टूट गया है, इसलिए पानी डालते वक्त बाहर गिर जाता है। The mouth of the jug is broken, so water spills out while pouring.

(jag kaa munh toot gayaa hai, islie paanii daalte vakt baahar gir jaataa hai।)

अगर सुराही का मुँह ढका होता, तो मिट्टी अंदर नहीं जाती। If the mouth of the earthen pitcher had been covered, dust wouldn't have gotten inside.

(agar suraahii kaa munh dhakaa hotaa, to mittii andar nahiin jaatii।)

गुफा का मुँह इतना संकरा था कि सिर्फ एक आदमी झुककर अंदर जा सकता था। The mouth of the cave was so narrow that only one man could bend and go inside.

(guphaa kaa munh itnaa sankraa thaa ki sirph ek aadmii jhukkar andar jaa saktaa thaa।)

फ्लास्क का मुँह कसकर बंद कर दो ताकि चाय ठंडी न हो। Shut the mouth of the flask tightly so that the tea doesn't get cold.

(phlaask kaa munh kaskar band kar do taaki chaay thandii n ho।)

कुएँ का मुँह बहुत ऊँचा बना दिया गया है ताकि बच्चे गिर न जाएँ। The mouth of the well has been built very high so that children don't fall in.

(kuen kaa munh bahut oonchaa banaa diyaa gayaa hai taaki bachche gir n jaaen।)

Sense 4 : cheek, audacity, nerve (idiomatic, of a person's attitude)

noun, masculine Common in the pattern तेरी/उसकी यह मुँह (yah munh, 'the nerve of you/him'), often continued with और... ('and you dare...').

Synonyms: हिम्मत (himmat, covers 'courage' more than 'audacity')

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: This sense lives almost entirely inside fixed put-downs and taunts rather than free composition -- it is one reason मुँह (munh) shows up in so many idioms about pride, shame, and cheekiness.

Common Mistakes: 1) The idiom यह मुँह और यह बात (yah munh aur yah baat, roughly 'this mouth and this talk,' meaning 'you have some nerve saying that') is a fixed put-down -- learners shouldn't try to build fresh sentences with मुँह (munh) meaning 'audacity' outside of set idioms like this.

Sample Sentences:

उसकी यह कहने की हिम्मत कैसे हुई, मुँह तो देखो! How dare he say that, look at the nerve of him!

(uskii yah kahne kii himmat kaise huii, munh to dekho!)

इतना बड़ा मुँह लेकर आया है मुझसे पैसे माँगने! He's got such nerve, coming to ask me for money!

(itnaa badaa munh lekar aayaa hai mujhse paise maangne!)

बड़े मुँह की बात करता है, खुद तो कुछ करता नहीं। He talks with such nerve, but he doesn't do anything himself.

(bade munh kii baat kartaa hai, khud to kuchh kartaa nahiin।)

अगर तुझमें इतना ही मुँह है, तो सामने आकर बोल। If you've got that much nerve, come say it to my face.

(agar tujhmen itnaa hii munh hai, to saamne aakar bol।)

उसका मुँह देखकर लगा जैसे उसे कोई शर्म ही नहीं है। Looking at his nerve, it seemed like he had no shame at all.

(uskaa munh dekhkar lagaa jaise use koii sharm hii nahiin hai।)

काश उसका इतना मुँह न होता कि वह सबके सामने झूठ बोलता। If only he didn't have the nerve to lie in front of everyone.

(kaash uskaa itnaa munh n hotaa ki vah sabke saamne jhooth boltaa।)

यह उसी का मुँह है जो सबकी बुराई करने के बाद माफी भी नहीं माँगता। It's exactly the kind of nerve he has, badmouthing everyone and not even apologizing afterward.

(yah usii kaa munh hai jo sabkii buraaii karne ke baad maaphii bhii nahiin maangtaa।)

उसकी हिम्मत और मुँह देखकर सब हैरान रह गए। Everyone was left stunned, seeing his sheer gall.

(uskii himmat aur munh dekhkar sab hairaan rah gae।)

अरे, इतना मुँह तो किसी में नहीं देखा जो सबके सामने झूठ बोले। Wow, I've never seen anyone with that much nerve to lie in front of everyone.

(are, itnaa munh to kisii men nahiin dekhaa jo sabke saamne jhooth bole।)

Morphology

Noun

(sg.m.direct): मुँह (munh)

(sg.m.oblique): मुँह (munh)

(pl.m.direct): मुँह (munh)

(pl.m.oblique): मुँहों (munhon)