धोखा (dhokhaa)
noun
Mainly a noun meaning 'deceit/betrayal' or 'accident/mishap', and the core of the very common verb phrase धोखा देना (dhokhaa denaa, 'to deceive/cheat').
Sense
1
:
deception, betrayal, cheating
noun, masculine Almost always appears with देना (denaa) 'to give/deal (someone) a deceit' or खाना (khaanaa) 'to receive/fall for a deceit' -- the object of deception takes को.
Synonyms: छल (chhal), फ़रेब (fareb), दगा (dagaa, colloquial), विश्वासघात (vishvaasghaat, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: धोखा देना (dhokhaa denaa) is the everyday phrase for betrayal in relationships, business, and politics alike -- you will hear it constantly in TV dramas and real gossip about unfaithful partners or cheating business deals. The idiom धोखा खाना (dhokhaa khaanaa) nicely captures how Hindi frames being deceived as something that happens to you, almost like an involuntary experience, rather than something you actively do.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say धोखा करना (dhokhaa karnaa) by analogy with other noun+करना (karnaa) constructions, but the natural verb here is देना (denaa) -- धोखा देना (dhokhaa denaa), not धोखा करना (dhokhaa karnaa). 2) To describe being the victim, use धोखा खाना (dhokhaa khaanaa, 'to eat a deceit' = to be deceived), not a passive of देना (denaa).
Sample Sentences:
उसने अपनी पत्नी को धोखा दिया।
He betrayed his wife.
(usne apnii patnii ko dhokhaa diyaa।)
मुझे पता है कि वह मुझसे धोखा कर रहा है।
I know that he is cheating me.
(mujhe pataa hai ki vah mujhse dhokhaa kar rahaa hai।)
मैंने उस एजेंट के हाथों बहुत बड़ा धोखा खाया।
I was badly deceived by that agent.
(mainne us ejent ke haathon bahut badaa dhokhaa khaayaa।)
कभी किसी को धोखा मत दो, चाहे कुछ भी हो जाए।
Never deceive anyone, no matter what happens.
(kabhii kisii ko dhokhaa mat do, chaahe kuchh bhii ho jaae।)
अगर उसे धोखे का पता चल जाता, तो वह कभी माफ नहीं करती।
If she had found out about the betrayal, she would never have forgiven him.
(agar use dhokhe kaa pataa chal jaataa, to vah kabhii maaph nahiin kartii।)
व्यापार में लोग अक्सर एक-दूसरे को धोखा देते हैं।
In business, people often deceive one another.
(vyaapaar men log aksar ek-doosre ko dhokhaa dete hain।)
यह धोखा जल्द ही सबके सामने आ जाएगा।
This deception will soon come out in front of everyone.
(yah dhokhaa jald hii sabke saamne aa jaaegaa।)
क्या हो सकता है कि उसने जानबूझकर धोखा न दिया हो?
Is it possible that he did not knowingly betray her?
(kyaa ho saktaa hai ki usne jaanboojhkar dhokhaa n diyaa ho?)
नेता ने चुनाव से पहले जनता से जो वादे किए, वे सब धोखा साबित हुए।
The promises the leader made to the public before the election all turned out to be a deception.
(netaa ne chunaav se pahle jantaa se jo vaade kie, ve sab dhokhaa saabit hue।)
इस समझौते से जनता के साथ बड़ा धोखा किया गया।
A great betrayal was committed against the public through this agreement.
(is samjhaute se jantaa ke saath badaa dhokhaa kiyaa gayaa।)
प्यार में धोखा खाकर वह बहुत टूट गई थी।
Having been deceived in love, she was utterly shattered.
(pyaar men dhokhaa khaakar vah bahut toot gaii thii।)
Sense
2
:
accident, mishap, unintentional error
noun, masculine Used in phrases like धोखे से (dhokhe se, 'by mistake, accidentally') -- the oblique + से marks the unintentional manner.
Synonyms: ग़लती (ghaltii, not exact but overlaps for 'unintentional error'), भूल (bhool, overlaps, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will often hear धोखे से हो गया (dhokhe se ho gayaa, 'it happened by mistake') when someone is explaining away a small blunder, like knocking over a cup of chai -- it softens the admission by framing the error as something that just happened, not something done on purpose.
Common Mistakes: 1) धोखे से (dhokhe se) means 'accidentally/by mistake' -- learners sometimes confuse this with the deceit sense and mistranslate it as 'through deception,' but here it simply flags an unintentional slip.
Sample Sentences:
मुझसे धोखे से आपका गिलास टूट गया।
Your glass broke by mistake, because of me.
(mujhse dhokhe se aapkaa gilaas toot gayaa।)
चाय धोखे से गिर गई, जानबूझकर नहीं।
The tea spilled by accident, not on purpose.
(chaay dhokhe se gir gaii, jaanboojhkar nahiin।)
यह गलती धोखे से हुई है, कोई बड़ी बात नहीं।
This mistake happened by accident, it's not a big deal.
(yah galtii dhokhe se huii hai, koii badii baat nahiin।)
अगर धोखे से भी कुछ गलत हो जाए, तो बता देना।
If something goes wrong even by mistake, just let me know.
(agar dhokhe se bhii kuchh galat ho jaae, to bataa denaa।)
अगर वह धोखे से भी गिर जाता, तो चोट लग सकती थी।
If he had fallen even by accident, he could have gotten hurt.
(agar vah dhokhe se bhii gir jaataa, to chot lag saktii thii।)
धोखे से भी ऐसी गलती मत करना, समझे?
Don't make such a mistake even by accident, understood?
(dhokhe se bhii aisii galtii mat karnaa, samjhe?)
फाइल में यह गलती धोखे से रह गई थी।
This error had been left in the file by mistake.
(phaail men yah galtii dhokhe se rah gaii thii।)
बच्चा धोखे से सीढ़ियों से गिर गया था।
The child had fallen down the stairs by accident.
(bachchaa dhokhe se siidhiyon se gir gayaa thaa।)
कभी-कभी बड़ी दुर्घटनाएँ भी धोखे से हो जाती हैं।
Sometimes even big accidents happen by mistake.
(kabhii-kabhii badii durghatnaaen bhii dhokhe se ho jaatii hain।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
धोखा
(dhokhaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
धोखे
(dhokhe)
(pl.m.direct):
धोखे
(dhokhe)
(pl.m.oblique):
धोखों
(dhokhon)