मांस (maans)
noun
A noun meaning 'meat/flesh' -- one core sense, with a natural extension to 'flesh' in the bodily/anatomical sense. Also spelled मांस (maans) with the chandrabindu-less anusvara or माँस (maans) with a candra; both are heard, though माँस (maans) is somewhat more common in careful pronunciation.
Sense
1
:
meat (as food)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: गोश्त (gosht)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In a country with a huge vegetarian population, the words for meat carry real social weight -- asking someone शाकाहारी या मांसाहारी? (shaakaahaarii yaa maansaahaarii?, 'vegetarian or non-vegetarian?') is a completely normal, non-awkward question at any Delhi dinner party or wedding buffet, unlike in many English-speaking contexts where it might feel intrusive.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use मांस (maans) and गोश्त (gosht) as if fully interchangeable; in everyday speech गोश्त (gosht) is what you hear at the butcher's shop and on menus (especially for mutton/chicken preparations), while मांस (maans) sounds a touch more formal or clinical, closer to 'flesh/meat' in a general or written sense. 2) मांसाहारी (maansaahaarii, 'meat-eating/non-vegetarian') and its opposite शाकाहारी (shaakaahaarii, 'vegetarian') are built directly from this word -- worth learning as a pair since they come up constantly on food labels and in conversation about diet.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे मांस खाना पसंद नहीं है।
I don't like eating meat.
(mujhe maans khaanaa pasand nahiin hai।)
क्या आप शाकाहारी हैं या मांसाहारी?
Are you vegetarian or non-vegetarian?
(kyaa aap shaakaahaarii hain yaa maansaahaarii?)
उसने बकरे का मांस पकाया।
She cooked goat meat.
(usne bakre kaa maans pakaayaa।)
बाज़ार से थोड़ा मांस ले आना।
Bring some meat from the market.
(baazaar se thodaa maans le aanaa।)
शादी में मांस के कई तरह के व्यंजन परोसे गए।
Many kinds of meat dishes were served at the wedding.
(shaadii men maans ke kaii tarah ke vyanjan parose gae।)
अगर मुझे मांस पसंद होता, तो मैं यह डिश ज़रूर खाता।
If I liked meat, I would definitely eat this dish.
(agar mujhe maans pasand hotaa, to main yah dish zaroor khaataa।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि उसे कुछ दिनों तक मांस न खाए।
The doctor said that he should not eat meat for a few days.
(doktar ne kahaa ki use kuchh dinon tak maans n khaae।)
हम त्योहारों के दौरान मांस नहीं खाते।
We don't eat meat during festivals.
(ham tyohaaron ke dauraan maans nahiin khaate।)
रेस्तराँ में मांस और सब्ज़ी दोनों तरह के खाने की व्यवस्था है।
The restaurant has arrangements for both meat and vegetable dishes.
(restraan men maans aur sabzii donon tarah ke khaane kii vyavasthaa hai।)
मांस को अच्छी तरह पकाया जाना चाहिए ताकि वह ठीक से पचे।
Meat should be cooked well so that it digests properly.
(maans ko achchhii tarah pakaayaa jaanaa chaahie taaki vah thiik se pache।)
बचपन में हमारे घर मांस कभी नहीं बनता था।
In childhood, meat was never made at our house.
(bachpan men hamaare ghar maans kabhii nahiin bantaa thaa।)
Sense
2
:
flesh (of the body)
noun, masculine Used for bodily flesh in anatomical, medical, or figurative descriptions, distinct from the food sense though the same word is used for both, much like English 'flesh' can shift between the two.
Synonyms: गोश्त (gosht)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will meet this sense in phrases like हाड़-मांस का (haad-maans kaa, 'made of flesh and bone') used to emphasize someone's ordinary, mortal humanity -- a nice window into how Hindi builds vivid compound expressions from basic body-part words.
Sample Sentences:
इंसान हाड़-मांस का बना होता है।
A human being is made of flesh and bone.
(insaan haad-maans kaa banaa hotaa hai।)
तुम भी तो हाड़-मांस की इंसान हो, भगवान नहीं।
You too are a mortal made of flesh and blood, not a god.
(tum bhii to haad-maans kii insaan ho, bhagvaan nahiin।)
गोली उसके मांस में धँस गई थी।
The bullet had sunk into his flesh.
(golii uske maans men dhans gaii thii।)
चोट इतनी गहरी थी कि मांस साफ दिख रहा था।
The wound was so deep that the flesh was clearly visible.
(chot itnii gahrii thii ki maans saaph dikh rahaa thaa।)
साधु ने कहा, यह शरीर तो केवल मांस और हड्डी का पिंजरा है।
The sage said, this body is merely a cage of flesh and bone.
(saadhu ne kahaa, yah shariir to keval maans aur haddii kaa pinjraa hai।)
यदि वह हाड़-मांस का न होता, तो शायद दर्द न सहता।
If he were not made of flesh and bone, perhaps he would not have endured the pain.
(yadi vah haad-maans kaa n hotaa, to shaayad dard n sahtaa।)
काँटा उँगली के मांस में गड़ गया।
The thorn pierced into the flesh of the finger.
(kaantaa unglii ke maans men gad gayaa।)
डॉक्टर ने बताया कि घाव मांस तक पहुँच गया है।
The doctor explained that the wound has reached down to the flesh.
(doktar ne bataayaa ki ghaav maans tak pahunch gayaa hai।)
आखिर हम भी तो मांस और रक्त के बने प्राणी हैं।
After all, we too are creatures made of flesh and blood.
(aakhir ham bhii to maans aur rakt ke bane praanii hain।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
मांस
(maans)
(sg.m.oblique):
मांस
(maans)
(pl.m.direct):
मांस
(maans)
(pl.m.oblique):
मांसों
(maanson)