घोड़ा (ghodaa)
noun
A common everyday noun meaning 'horse'; it also carries a couple of well-known extended/idiomatic uses (chess piece, bolt/latch mechanism) built on the same image.
Sense
1
:
horse (the animal)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: अश्व (ashv, literary), घोड़ी (ghodii, female horse -- not interchangeable, see notes)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Picture the tourist-trap horse carts (tanga taangaa) still seen in some old-city areas, or the decorated mare a groom rides in a baraat baaraat -- घोड़ा (ghodaa) is the everyday word for all of this, not a formal or bookish one.
Common Mistakes: 1) घोड़ी (ghodii) is not simply 'a female version usable anywhere' -- it specifically means 'mare' and is also the word used for the ceremonial mare a groom rides in a wedding procession, so swapping the two changes the picture in a listener's head. 2) Learners sometimes default to अश्व (ashv) from textbook Sanskrit-heavy Hindi; in everyday Delhi speech घोड़ा (ghodaa) is what people actually say.
Sample Sentences:
उसके पास एक सफ़ेद घोड़ा है।
He has a white horse.
(uske paas ek safed ghodaa hai।)
दूल्हा घोड़ी पर बैठा है और बारात नाच रही है।
The groom is sitting on the mare and the wedding procession is dancing.
(doolhaa ghodii par baithaa hai aur baaraat naach rahii hai।)
पुराने शहर में लोग अभी भी घोड़े की टांगे में बैठकर घूमते हैं।
In the old city, people still ride around sitting in horse-drawn carts.
(puraane shahar men log abhii bhii ghode kii taange men baithkar ghoomte hain।)
बचपन में मैं हर रविवार घोड़े पर सवारी करता था।
As a child, I used to ride a horse every Sunday.
(bachpan men main har ravivaar ghode par savaarii kartaa thaa।)
घोड़े को पानी पिलाओ, वो प्यासा लग रहा है।
Give the horse some water, it looks thirsty.
(ghode ko paanii pilaao, vo pyaasaa lag rahaa hai।)
अगर तेरे पास घोड़ा होता, तो हम रेस में शामिल हो सकते थे।
If you had a horse, we could have joined the race.
(agar tere paas ghodaa hotaa, to ham res men shaamil ho sakte the।)
मेला ख़त्म होने तक घोड़े थककर सो चुके थे।
By the time the fair ended, the horses had gotten tired and were already asleep.
(melaa khatm hone tak ghode thakkar so chuke the।)
शायद कल मेला में घोड़े की दौड़ हो।
Maybe there will be a horse race at the fair tomorrow.
(shaayad kal melaa men ghode kii daud ho।)
मंदिर के पास घोड़े को बेचा गया।
The horse was sold near the temple.
(mandir ke paas ghode ko bechaa gayaa।)
मेरा भाई अगले महीने अपना पहला घोड़ा ख़रीदेगा।
My brother will buy his first horse next month.
(meraa bhaaii agle mahiine apnaa pahlaa ghodaa khariidegaa।)
मेरे दादा जी कहते हैं कि घोड़ा वफ़ादार जानवर होता है।
My grandfather says that the horse is a loyal animal.
(mere daadaa jii kahte hain ki ghodaa vafaadaar jaanvar hotaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
knight (chess piece)
noun, masculine Used specifically within the vocabulary of chess (shatranj shatranj); understood immediately by anyone who plays.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Just as English calls this piece a 'knight' rather than 'horse,' Hindi keeps the animal name घोड़ा (ghodaa) -- a nice small window into how the game's imagery carried over more literally into Hindi.
Sample Sentences:
शतरंज में घोड़ा ढाई घर चलता है।
In chess, the knight moves two and a half squares.
(shatranj men ghodaa dhaaii ghar chaltaa hai।)
उसने अपने घोड़े से मेरा हाथी मार दिया।
He captured my elephant with his knight.
(usne apne ghode se meraa haathii maar diyaa।)
अपना घोड़ा यहाँ मत लाओ, वरना फँस जाएगा।
Don't bring your knight here, or it'll get trapped.
(apnaa ghodaa yahaan mat laao, varnaa phans jaaegaa।)
अगर तुम घोड़े को बचा लेते, तो बाज़ी पलट जाती।
If you had saved the knight, the game would have turned around.
(agar tum ghode ko bachaa lete, to baazii palat jaatii।)
क्या तुम्हारा घोड़ा अभी भी बीच में फँसा हुआ है?
Is your knight still stuck in the middle?
(kyaa tumhaaraa ghodaa abhii bhii biich men phansaa huaa hai?)
घोड़े को इस तरह चलाना चाहिए कि विरोधी की रानी पर नज़र रहे।
One should move the knight in such a way that it keeps an eye on the opponent's queen.
(ghode ko is tarah chalaanaa chaahie ki virodhii kii raanii par nazar rahe।)
शुरुआती चालों में घोड़े को जल्दी बाहर निकालना अच्छी रणनीति मानी जाती है।
Bringing the knight out early in the opening moves is considered good strategy.
(shuruaatii chaalon men ghode ko jaldii baahar nikaalnaa achchhii ranniiti maanii jaatii hai।)
मैंने अपना घोड़ा बचाने के लिए मंत्री की बलि दे दी।
I sacrificed my queen to save my knight.
(mainne apnaa ghodaa bachaane ke lie mantrii kii bali de dii।)
अगली बाज़ी में घोड़े को कोने में मत छिपाना।
Don't hide the knight in the corner in the next game.
(aglii baazii men ghode ko kone men mat chhipaanaa।)
दोनों घोड़े बोर्ड के बीचोबीच आकर टकरा गए।
Both knights ended up clashing right in the middle of the board.
(donon ghode bord ke biichobiich aakar takraa gae।)
Sense
3
:
hammer/cocking mechanism of a gun; bolt of a lock
noun, masculine A mechanical extension of the animal sense, based on a similar shape or trigger-like action; heard mostly in specific fixed phrases like घोड़ा दबाना (ghodaa dabaanaa, 'to pull the trigger').
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This is one of those words where the physical resemblance did the work of coining a new sense -- much like how English 'hammer' for a gun part isn't really about tools either.
Sample Sentences:
उसने बंदूक का घोड़ा चढ़ाया।
He cocked the gun's hammer.
(usne bandook kaa ghodaa chadhaayaa।)
घोड़ा दबाते ही गोली चल गई।
As soon as the trigger's hammer was pressed, the shot went off.
(ghodaa dabaate hii golii chal gaii।)
पहले बंदूक का घोड़ा चढ़ाओ, फिर निशाना लगाओ।
First cock the gun's hammer, then take aim.
(pahle bandook kaa ghodaa chadhaao, phir nishaanaa lagaao।)
पुरानी बंदूकों में घोड़ा हाथ से चढ़ाना पड़ता था।
In old guns, the hammer had to be cocked by hand.
(puraanii bandookon men ghodaa haath se chadhaanaa padtaa thaa।)
ताले का घोड़ा जाम हो गया है, चाबी नहीं घूम रही।
The lock's bolt has jammed, the key isn't turning.
(taale kaa ghodaa jaam ho gayaa hai, chaabii nahiin ghoom rahii।)
अगर घोड़ा ठीक से चढ़ा होता तो बंदूक चल जाती।
If the hammer had been cocked properly, the gun would have fired.
(agar ghodaa thiik se chadhaa hotaa to bandook chal jaatii।)
बंदूक का घोड़ा जंग खाकर सख्त हो गया था।
The gun's hammer had rusted and become stiff.
(bandook kaa ghodaa jang khaakar sakht ho gayaa thaa।)
मिस्त्री ने ताले का घोड़ा बदल दिया।
The locksmith replaced the lock's bolt mechanism.
(mistrii ne taale kaa ghodaa badal diyaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
घोड़ा
(ghodaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
घोड़े
(ghode)
(pl.m.direct):
घोड़े
(ghode)
(pl.m.oblique):
घोड़ों
(ghodon)