भूख (bhookh)

noun A feminine noun meaning 'hunger,' used both for the physical need for food and, figuratively, for a strong craving or drive (e.g. hunger for success).

Sense 1 : physical hunger, appetite for food

noun, feminine Commonly paired with लगना (lagnaa) in the dative-subject frame -- मुझे भूख लगी है (mujhe bhookh lagii hai, 'I am hungry') -- treating hunger as something that arrives rather than a state you are in.

Synonyms: क्षुधा (kshudhaa, literary)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: Ask any Delhi mother and she'll tell you भूख (bhookh) is never something you 'have' -- it's something that 'comes' or 'strikes' (लगना (lagnaa)), much like sleep (नींद (niind)) or fear (डर (dar)). This body-as-recipient framing runs through a whole family of Hindi expressions and is one of the first conceptual shifts learners need to make.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to say 'I am hungry' with होना (honaa) alone, as in a direct adjective translation, when the natural frame uses भूख लगना (bhookh lagnaa) with a को-marked subject. 2) भूखा (bhookhaa) is the adjective 'hungry'; भूख (bhookh) itself is the noun 'hunger' and cannot directly modify a person the way an adjective does.

Sample Sentences:

मुझे बहुत भूख लगी है। I am very hungry.

(mujhe bahut bhookh lagii hai।)

सुबह उठते ही बच्चों को भूख लगने लगती है। As soon as they wake up in the morning, the children start getting hungry.

(subah uthte hii bachchon ko bhookh lagne lagtii hai।)

कल रात मुझे इतनी भूख लगी थी कि मैंने दो प्लेट खाना खा लिया। Last night I was so hungry that I ate two plates of food.

(kal raat mujhe itnii bhookh lagii thii ki mainne do plet khaanaa khaa liyaa।)

अगर तुम्हें भूख लगे तो रसोई में परांठे रखे हैं। If you get hungry, there are parathas kept in the kitchen.

(agar tumhen bhookh lage to rasoii men paraanthe rakhe hain।)

बीमारी के दौरान उसकी भूख बिलकुल खत्म हो गई थी। During his illness, his appetite had completely disappeared.

(biimaarii ke dauraan uskii bhookh bilkul khatm ho gaii thii।)

यदि उसे भूख न लगती तो वह इतना पतला न होता। If he didn't feel hungry, he wouldn't be so thin.

(yadi use bhookh n lagtii to vah itnaa patlaa n hotaa।)

पहले कुछ खा लो, भूख शांत हो जाएगी। Eat something first, your hunger will be satisfied.

(pahle kuchh khaa lo, bhookh shaant ho jaaegii।)

गरीबों को हर रात भूख के साथ सोना पड़ता है। The poor have to sleep with hunger every night.

(gariibon ko har raat bhookh ke saath sonaa padtaa hai।)

देश में लाखों लोग आज भी भूख से मर रहे हैं। Millions of people in the country are still dying of hunger today.

(desh men laakhon log aaj bhii bhookh se mar rahe hain।)

इतनी मेहनत के बाद ज़ोरों की भूख लग आई। After so much hard work, an intense hunger struck me.

(itnii mehnat ke baad zoron kii bhookh lag aaii।)

पहले पेट भर पानी पी लो, भूख कुछ कम लगेगी। Drink your fill of water first, the hunger will feel a bit less.

(pahle pet bhar paanii pii lo, bhookh kuchh kam lagegii।)

Sense 2 : figurative craving, drive, or hunger for something (success, power, knowledge)

noun, feminine Used with की (kii) to specify the object of the craving, e.g. सत्ता की भूख (sattaa kii bhookh, 'hunger for power').

Synonyms: लालसा (laalsaa), चाह (chaah)

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: This extended sense shows up constantly in political commentary and film dialogue -- सत्ता की भूख (sattaa kii bhookh) or पैसे की भूख (paise kii bhookh) are stock phrases for describing someone's insatiable ambition, echoing the same 'hunger as a physical drive' logic as the literal sense.

Sample Sentences:

उसके अंदर सत्ता की भूख साफ़ दिखती है। His hunger for power is clearly visible.

(uske andar sattaa kii bhookh saaf dikhtii hai।)

पैसे की भूख ने उसे अंधा कर दिया है। The hunger for money has blinded him.

(paise kii bhookh ne use andhaa kar diyaa hai।)

अगर उसमें सीखने की भूख न होती, तो वह इतना आगे न बढ़ पाता। If he hadn't had a hunger to learn, he wouldn't have progressed this far.

(agar usmen siikhne kii bhookh n hotii, to vah itnaa aage n badh paataa।)

नेताओं की सत्ता की भूख कभी नहीं मिटती। Politicians' hunger for power is never satisfied.

(netaaon kii sattaa kii bhookh kabhii nahiin mittii।)

फ़िल्म का हीरो कामयाबी की भूख में सब कुछ दांव पर लगा देता है। Driven by hunger for success, the film's hero puts everything at stake.

(film kaa hiiro kaamyaabii kii bhookh men sab kuchh daanv par lagaa detaa hai।)

काश मुझमें भी उसके जैसी भूख होती। I wish I had a hunger like his.

(kaash mujhmen bhii uske jaisii bhookh hotii।)

क्या तुम्हारे अंदर सचमुच कुछ बड़ा करने की भूख है? Do you really have the hunger to do something big?

(kyaa tumhaare andar sachmuch kuchh badaa karne kii bhookh hai?)

उसकी भूख इतनी बढ़ गई कि उसने अपने दोस्तों को भी धोखा दे दिया। His hunger grew so much that he even betrayed his friends.

(uskii bhookh itnii badh gaii ki usne apne doston ko bhii dhokhaa de diyaa।)

यह किताब हमारे भीतर सोई हुई ज्ञान की भूख को जगा देती है। This book awakens the dormant hunger for knowledge within us.

(yah kitaab hamaare bhiitar soii huii gyaan kii bhookh ko jagaa detii hai।)

सत्ता की भूख में डूबे नेता अक्सर जनता को भूल जाते हैं। Leaders drowned in the hunger for power often forget the people.

(sattaa kii bhookh men doobe netaa aksar jantaa ko bhool jaate hain।)

Morphology

Noun

(sg.f.direct): भूख (bhookh)

(sg.f.oblique): भूख (bhookh)

(pl.f.direct): भूखें (bhookhen)

(pl.f.oblique): भूखों (bhookhon)