सूरत (soorat)
noun
Mainly means face/appearance (सूरत (soorat)), extending into figurative 'condition/form' and the fixed expression सूरत-ए-हाल (soorat-e-haal) meaning 'state of affairs'; also the proper noun for the city in Gujarat.
Sense
1
:
face, facial appearance
noun, feminine
Synonyms: चेहरा (chehraa), शक्ल (shakl)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear सूरत (soorat) in the common saying सूरत से सीधा लगता है (soorat se siidhaa lagtaa hai, 'he looks innocent/decent from his face') -- Hindi speakers often judge character from सूरत (soorat) in everyday chatter, much like English 'he has an honest face.' It also pairs with सीरत (siirat, 'inner character') in the popular contrastive phrase सूरत नहीं सीरत देखो (soorat nahiin siirat dekho, 'look at the character, not the face'), a common piece of moral advice from elders.
Common Mistakes: 1) सूरत (soorat) leans toward describing the overall look or beauty of a face, while शक्ल (shakl) is more neutral/physical and often used in mildly negative contexts like शक्ल बिगड़ गई (shakl bigad gaii, 'the face got disfigured'). 2) Learners sometimes use सूरत (soorat) where चेहरा (chehraa) would sound more natural in plain physical descriptions -- सूरत (soorat) often carries a slight aesthetic or emotional coloring.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी सूरत बहुत मासूम है।
His face is very innocent-looking.
(uskii soorat bahut maasoom hai।)
वह सूरत से सीधा लगता है, पर अंदर से बड़ा चालाक है।
He looks innocent from his face, but he's very cunning inside.
(vah soorat se siidhaa lagtaa hai, par andar se badaa chaalaak hai।)
बड़े कहते हैं, सूरत नहीं सीरत देखो।
Elders say, look at the character, not the face.
(bade kahte hain, soorat nahiin siirat dekho।)
उसकी सूरत देखकर मुझे यकीन नहीं हुआ कि यही मेरा पुराना दोस्त है।
Seeing his face, I couldn't believe this was my old friend.
(uskii soorat dekhkar mujhe yakiin nahiin huaa ki yahii meraa puraanaa dost hai।)
अगर उसकी सूरत थोड़ी और साफ होती, तो शायद यह रोल उसे मिल जाता।
If his face had been a bit clearer, maybe he would have gotten this role.
(agar uskii soorat thodii aur saaph hotii, to shaayad yah rol use mil jaataa।)
कृपया अपनी सूरत साफ-साफ दिखाने वाली फोटो भेजें।
Please send a photo that clearly shows your face.
(kripyaa apnii soorat saaph-saaph dikhaane vaalii photo bhejen।)
इस बुजुर्ग की सूरत मुझे अपने दादाजी की याद दिलाती है।
This old man's face reminds me of my grandfather.
(is bujurg kii soorat mujhe apne daadaajii kii yaad dilaatii hai।)
धुंधली रोशनी में भी उसकी सूरत पहचानी जा सकती थी।
Even in the dim light, his face could be recognized.
(dhundhlii roshnii men bhii uskii soorat pahchaanii jaa saktii thii।)
शायद उसकी सूरत बदल गई हो, इसलिए तुम उसे पहचान नहीं पाए।
Maybe his face has changed, that's why you couldn't recognize him.
(shaayad uskii soorat badal gaii ho, islie tum use pahchaan nahiin paae।)
जब उसने आईने में अपनी सूरत देखी, तो चौंक गया।
When he saw his face in the mirror, he was startled.
(jab usne aaiine men apnii soorat dekhii, to chaunk gayaa।)
कवि ने प्रिया की सूरत को चाँद से भी सुंदर बताया।
The poet described the beloved's face as more beautiful than the moon.
(kavi ne priyaa kii soorat ko chaand se bhii sundar bataayaa।)
Sense
2
:
form, condition, state (figurative)
noun, feminine Commonly appears in the fixed phrase सूरत-ए-हाल (soorat-e-haal, 'the state of affairs') and in expressions like इस सूरत में (is soorat men, 'in this case/situation').
Synonyms: हालत (haalat), हाल (haal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will often meet this sense in slightly formal or written contexts, such as news commentary discussing सूरत-ए-हाल (soorat-e-haal) of a city or economy. In spoken Delhi Hindi, हालत (haalat) is more common for everyday 'condition,' so this sense of सूरत (soorat) has a faintly literary or formal flavor.
Common Mistakes: 1) इस सूरत में (is soorat men) means 'in this case' or 'under this circumstance' -- learners sometimes confuse this with a literal reference to someone's face, when it is actually about a hypothetical situation.
Sample Sentences:
शहर की सूरत-ए-हाल बहुत खराब है।
The state of affairs of the city is very bad.
(shahar kii soorat-e-haal bahut kharaab hai।)
अगर यही सूरत रही, तो अर्थव्यवस्था और कमजोर हो जाएगी।
If the situation remains like this, the economy will become even weaker.
(agar yahii soorat rahii, to arthavyvasthaa aur kamjor ho jaaegii।)
देश की मौजूदा सूरत को देखकर विशेषज्ञ चिंतित हैं।
Seeing the country's current condition, experts are worried.
(desh kii maujoodaa soorat ko dekhkar visheshagy chintit hain।)
जब तक हालात नहीं बदलते, सूरत यही रहेगी।
Until circumstances change, the state of things will remain the same.
(jab tak haalaat nahiin badalte, soorat yahii rahegii।)
काश हालात की सूरत कुछ और होती।
If only the state of affairs had been different.
(kaash haalaat kii soorat kuchh aur hotii।)
रिपोर्ट में बाजार की सूरत-ए-हाल का विस्तार से जिक्र किया गया है।
The report has described the state of the market in detail.
(riport men baajaar kii soorat-e-haal kaa vistaar se jikr kiyaa gayaa hai।)
पिछले साल तक सूरत कुछ और थी, अब सब बदल गया है।
Until last year the condition was something else; now everything has changed.
(pichhle saal tak soorat kuchh aur thii, ab sab badal gayaa hai।)
क्या सरकार को इस सूरत की जानकारी नहीं थी?
Did the government not have knowledge of this state of affairs?
(kyaa sarkaar ko is soorat kii jaankaarii nahiin thii?)
संपादकीय में देश की आर्थिक सूरत पर सवाल उठाए गए।
In the editorial, questions were raised about the country's economic condition.
(sampaadkiiy men desh kii aarthik soorat par savaal uthaae gae।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
सूरत
(soorat)
(sg.f.oblique):
सूरत
(soorat)
(pl.f.direct):
सूरतें
(soorten)
(pl.f.oblique):
सूरतों
(soorton)