मन (man)
noun
Mainly a noun meaning 'mind/heart' as the seat of feeling, will, and mood, and shows up constantly in fixed phrases like मन करना (man karnaa) and मन लगना (man lagnaa); a separate, unrelated sense is a traditional unit of weight.
Sense
1
:
mind, heart, inner feeling/mood
noun, masculine Frequently used with को (ko) or as the subject of दative-subject constructions, e.g. मन करना (man karnaa, 'to feel like doing something') and मन लगना (man lagnaa, 'to feel absorbed/interested').
Synonyms: दिल (dil), चित्त (chitt, literary), जी (jii)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: मन (man) is one of those wonderfully untranslatable Hindi words -- it is not quite 'heart', not quite 'mind', but the inner emotional-volitional self that has its own moods and desires almost independently of you. You'll hear Delhi aunties say मन नहीं है (man nahiin hai, 'I don't feel like it') the way English speakers might say 'I'm just not in the mood', treating मन (man) as a slightly separate entity inside you that has to agree before you do something.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often translate मन (man) as 'mind' in the purely intellectual sense (like English 'brain'), but it usually points to feelings, mood, or inclination rather than logical thought -- दिमाग (dimaagh) is closer to 'brain/intellect'. 2) The common phrase मेरा मन नहीं लग रहा (meraa man nahiin lag rahaa, 'I don't feel like it/I'm restless') can confuse learners who expect a subject-verb structure rather than this dative-subject feel. 3) मन करना (man karnaa) takes an oblique infinitive + का (kaa), as in खाने का मन कर रहा है (khaane kaa man kar rahaa hai, 'I feel like eating'), which learners sometimes try to build with को (ko) instead.
Sample Sentences:
आज मेरा मन नहीं है बाहर जाने का।
I don't feel like going out today.
(aaj meraa man nahiin hai baahar jaane kaa।)
उसका मन बहुत उदास है।
His heart/mind is very sad.
(uskaa man bahut udaas hai।)
मन करता है कि सब कुछ छोड़कर घूमने चले जाएँ।
I feel like leaving everything and going off traveling.
(man kartaa hai ki sab kuchh chhodkar ghoomne chale jaaen।)
जब से वह गई है, मेरा मन उदास रहता है।
Ever since she left, my heart has been staying heavy.
(jab se vah gaii hai, meraa man udaas rahtaa hai।)
अपने मन की सुनो, दूसरों की मत सुनो।
Listen to your own heart, don't listen to others.
(apne man kii suno, doosron kii mat suno।)
यदि उसका मन शांत होता, तो वह ऐसा फैसला नहीं करता।
If his mind had been calm, he wouldn't have made such a decision.
(yadi uskaa man shaant hotaa, to vah aisaa phaislaa nahiin kartaa।)
काश मेरा मन इतना बेचैन न होता।
I wish my mind/heart weren't so restless.
(kaash meraa man itnaa bechain n hotaa।)
उसने अपने मन की बात किसी से नहीं कही।
She never told anyone what was in her heart.
(usne apne man kii baat kisii se nahiin kahii।)
यह गीत सुनकर मन प्रसन्न हो जाता है।
Hearing this song, the heart becomes joyful.
(yah giit sunkar man prasann ho jaataa hai।)
मन ही मन वह सब कुछ समझ गया था।
In his heart of hearts, he had understood everything.
(man hii man vah sab kuchh samajh gayaa thaa।)
क्या तुम्हारा मन आज पढ़ाई में लग रहा है?
Is your mind actually focused on studying today?
(kyaa tumhaaraa man aaj padhaaii men lag rahaa hai?)
उसके मन में एक अजीब-सा डर बैठा है।
A strange fear has settled in his heart.
(uske man men ek ajiib-saa dar baithaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
traditional unit of weight (roughly 37 kg, varies by region/era)
noun, masculine
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This मन (man) is the old bazaar unit of weight -- the 'maund' of colonial-era trade records -- historically used for grain, cotton, and other bulk goods; it survives today mostly in older literature, proverbs, and rural markets rather than everyday city speech.
Sample Sentences:
इस बोरे में पूरे दो मन गेहूँ है।
This sack has a full two maunds of wheat.
(is bore men poore do man gehoon hai।)
पुराने ज़माने में किसान अनाज मन के हिसाब से बेचते थे।
In the old days, farmers used to sell grain by the maund.
(puraane zamaane men kisaan anaaj man ke hisaab se bechte the।)
बाज़ार में कपास दस मन तक बिक गई।
Up to ten maunds of cotton were sold in the market.
(baazaar men kapaas das man tak bik gaii।)
एक मन में कितने किलो होते हैं, यह अब कोई नहीं जानता।
How many kilos are in one maund -- nobody knows that anymore.
(ek man men kitne kilo hote hain, yah ab koii nahiin jaantaa।)
अगर उपज पाँच मन से ज़्यादा होती, तो साहूकार का कर्ज़ चुक जाता।
If the harvest had been more than five maunds, the moneylender's debt would have been paid off.
(agar upaj paanch man se zyaadaa hotii, to saahookaar kaa karz chuk jaataa।)
मुनीम जी, ज़रा गिनकर बताइए कि गोदाम में कुल कितने मन चावल पड़ा है।
Sir accountant, please count and tell me how many maunds of rice are lying in the warehouse in total.
(muniim jii, zaraa ginkar bataaie ki godaam men kul kitne man chaaval padaa hai।)
कहा जाता है कि उस साल गाँव में सौ मन अनाज बरसात में बह गया।
It is said that a hundred maunds of grain washed away in the rains in the village that year.
(kahaa jaataa hai ki us saal gaanv men sau man anaaj barsaat men bah gayaa।)
एक मन गुड़ की कीमत उस दौर में एक रुपया हुआ करती थी।
The price of one maund of jaggery used to be one rupee back then.
(ek man gud kii kiimat us daur men ek rupyaa huaa kartii thii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
मन
(man)
(sg.m.oblique):
मन
(man)
(pl.m.direct):
मन
(man)
(pl.m.oblique):
मनों
(manon)