बग़ल (baghal)

noun Primarily a noun meaning 'side' or 'armpit/flank,' most commonly met in the postposition-like phrase बग़ल में (baghal men, 'beside/next to').
Sense 1 : the side of the body, especially the area under the arm; also the adjoining side/flank of a thing or place
noun, feminine Almost always seen in the construction ...की बग़ल में (kii baghal men, 'next to/beside ...'), which functions like a compound postposition built on the noun.
Synonyms: पास (paas, nearby, broader meaning), पहलू (pahloo, aspect/side, overlaps in figurative use)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear बग़ल वाला (baghal vaalaa, 'the one next door/beside') constantly in Delhi-NCR daily life -- बग़ल वाली दुकान (baghal vaalii dukaan, 'the shop next door') or बग़ल वाला घर (baghal vaalaa ghar, 'the house next door') -- it is the default way to point to an immediate neighbor, more intimate than पड़ोस (pados, 'neighborhood') which covers a wider area.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for पास (paas) for 'near' in every context, but बग़ल में (baghal men) specifically implies immediate, touching-close adjacency (like two shops sharing a wall), not just general proximity. 2) बग़ल also literally means 'armpit,' so बग़ल में दबाना (baghal men dabaanaa, 'to tuck under one's arm') uses the body-part sense directly, which can surprise learners who only know the 'beside' usage.
Sample Sentences:
उसने बच्चे को बग़ल में उठा लिया। She picked up the child and held him against her side.
(usne bachche ko baghal men uthaa liyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बग़ल वाली दुकान में आज बहुत भीड़ है। There is a huge crowd in the shop next door today.
(baghal vaalii dukaan men aaj bahut bhiid hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मेरी बग़ल में दर्द हो रहा है। My underarm is hurting.
(merii baghal men dard ho rahaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अपनी किताबें बग़ल में दबाकर वह क्लास की तरफ़ भागा। Tucking his books under his arm, he ran toward class.
(apnii kitaaben baghal men dabaakar vah klaas kii taraf bhaagaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बग़ल वाला घर पिछले साल ही बिका था। The house next door was sold just last year.
(baghal vaalaa ghar pichhle saal hii bikaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
जब भी वह घबराता है, अपनी बग़ल में हाथ छिपा लेता है। Whenever he gets nervous, he tucks his hand under his arm.
(jab bhii vah ghabraataa hai, apnii baghal men haath chhipaa letaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अपने थैले को बग़ल में रख लो, गिर जाएगा। Hold your bag against your side, it will fall.
(apne thaile ko baghal men rakh lo, gir jaaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर बग़ल वाला मकान खाली होता, तो हम वहाँ शिफ़्ट हो जाते। If the house next door were vacant, we would have shifted there.
(agar baghal vaalaa makaan khaalii hotaa, to ham vahaan shift ho jaate।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि थर्मामीटर बग़ल में रखा जाए। The doctor said the thermometer should be placed under the arm.
(doktar ne kahaa ki tharmaamiitar baghal men rakhaa jaae।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Passive
यह भवन नदी की बग़ल में स्थित है। This building is situated alongside the river.
(yah bhavan nadii kii baghal men sthit hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बग़ल वाले फ़्लैट से हर रोज़ तेज़ संगीत की आवाज़ आती है। Loud music comes from the neighboring flat every day.
(baghal vaale flait se har roz tez sangiit kii aavaaz aatii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): बग़ल (baghal)
(sg.f.oblique): बग़ल (baghal)
(pl.f.direct): बग़लें (baghlen)
(pl.f.oblique): बग़लों (baghlon)