दराज़ (daraaz)
noun/adjective
Mainly a noun meaning 'drawer' (as in furniture); also survives as a literary/compound adjective meaning 'long' or 'extended,' most familiar to learners through the phrase उम्र दराज़ (umr daraaz, long-lived).
Sense
1
:
drawer (of furniture)
noun, feminine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Every almirah (aalmaarii) or study table in a middle-class Indian home has a दराज़ (daraaz) or two -- the word is completely everyday and non-fancy, used exactly like 'drawer' in English. It comes from Persian, part of the large stock of Persian/Urdu vocabulary woven into everyday Hindi.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes drop the nuqta and write/say दराज (daraaj) -- both are seen, but the nuqta-form दराज़ (daraaz) is standard for this Persian-origin word. 2) Don't confuse with तख्ता (takhtaa) or आलमारी (aalmaarii), which refer to a shelf/board or a whole cupboard, not a sliding drawer.
Sample Sentences:
मेज़ की दराज़ में एक पुरानी डायरी रखी है।
There's an old diary kept in the table's drawer.
(mez kii daraaz men ek puraanii daayrii rakhii hai।)
दराज़ खोलकर देखो, चाबी शायद वहीं हो।
Open the drawer and check, the key might be right there.
(daraaz kholkar dekho, chaabii shaayad vahiin ho।)
मैंने पैसे दराज़ में रख दिए थे।
I had put the money in the drawer.
(mainne paise daraaz men rakh die the।)
आलमारी की सबसे नीचे वाली दराज़ नहीं खुल रही।
The bottom drawer of the almirah isn't opening.
(aalmaarii kii sabse niiche vaalii daraaz nahiin khul rahii।)
अगर दराज़ में जगह होती तो मैं ये फाइलें वहीं रख देता।
If there were space in the drawer, I would have kept these files right there.
(agar daraaz men jagah hotii to main ye phaailen vahiin rakh detaa।)
क्या तुम्हें पता है कि रिमोट किस दराज़ में रखा गया है?
Do you know which drawer the remote has been kept in?
(kyaa tumhen pataa hai ki rimot kis daraaz men rakhaa gayaa hai?)
बच्चा चुपचाप दराज़ से चॉकलेट निकाल कर खा गया।
The kid quietly took out chocolate from the drawer and ate it.
(bachchaa chupchaap daraaz se choklet nikaal kar khaa gayaa।)
कृपया दस्तावेज़ ऊपर वाली दराज़ में सुरक्षित रख दें।
Please keep the documents safely in the top drawer.
(kripyaa dastaavez oopar vaalii daraaz men surakshit rakh den।)
हर दराज़ की एक अलग चाबी होती है इस पुरानी मेज़ में।
Every drawer has a separate key in this old table.
(har daraaz kii ek alag chaabii hotii hai is puraanii mez men।)
उसने घबराहट में सारी दराज़ें खंगाल डालीं मगर पासपोर्ट नहीं मिला।
In a panic she rummaged through all the drawers, but the passport wasn't found.
(usne ghabraahat men saarii daraazen khangaal daaliin magar paasport nahiin milaa।)
इस दराज़ को थोड़ा तेल लगाने की ज़रूरत है, अटक जाती है।
This drawer needs a bit of oil, it gets stuck.
(is daraaz ko thodaa tel lagaane kii zaroorat hai, atak jaatii hai।)
Sense
2
:
long, extended (literary/formal)
adjective Almost always seen in the fixed phrase उम्र दराज़ (umr daraaz, long life/long-lived), often as part of the blessing उम्र दराज़ हो (umr daraaz ho, 'may your life be long').
Synonyms: लंबा (lambaa), तवील (taviil, literary)
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: You'll meet this mostly in shayari (shaayrii) or in elders' blessings like उम्र दराज़ हो (umr daraaz ho, 'may you live long') -- a lovely, slightly old-fashioned way of wishing someone a long life, distinct from the everyday drawer sense above despite sharing the same word.
Common Mistakes: 1) This adjective is invariant and won't inflect like लंबा (lambaa) does -- learners sometimes wrongly try to feminize or pluralize it. 2) Outside the set phrase उम्र दराज़ (umr daraaz), this sense is rarely used in casual speech, so don't reach for it as a general everyday word for 'long.'
Sample Sentences:
उसकी उम्र दराज़ हो।
May his life be long.
(uskii umr daraaz ho।)
दादाजी ने आशीर्वाद दिया, "बेटा, उम्र दराज़ हो तुम्हारी।"
Grandfather blessed him, "Son, may your life be long."
(daadaajii ne aashiirvaad diyaa, "betaa, umr daraaz ho tumhaarii।")
शायर ने रात की दराज़ खामोशी पर एक शेर लिखा।
The poet wrote a couplet about the long silence of the night.
(shaayar ne raat kii daraaz khaamoshii par ek sher likhaa।)
उसकी जुदाई की दास्तान बहुत दराज़ है।
The tale of her separation is very long.
(uskii judaaii kii daastaan bahut daraaz hai।)
यह रात इतनी दराज़ मालूम होती है कि सुबह कभी नहीं आएगी।
This night seems so long that it feels morning will never come.
(yah raat itnii daraaz maaloom hotii hai ki subah kabhii nahiin aaegii।)
काश उसकी उम्र दराज़ होती।
If only his life had been long.
(kaash uskii umr daraaz hotii।)
अगर उम्र दराज़ होती तो वह अपने सपने पूरे कर पाता।
If his life had been long, he would have been able to fulfill his dreams.
(agar umr daraaz hotii to vah apne sapne poore kar paataa।)
खुदा करे तेरी उम्र दराज़ हो।
May God grant that your life be long.
(khudaa kare terii umr daraaz ho।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
दराज़
(daraaz)
(sg.f.oblique):
दराज़
(daraaz)
(pl.f.direct):
दराज़ें
(daraazen)
(pl.f.oblique):
दराज़ों
(daraazon)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
दराज़
(daraaz)