ठंड (thand)

noun A common noun meaning 'cold' -- both the weather condition and the physical sensation of feeling cold. Closely related to the adjective ठंडा (thandaa, 'cold').
Sense 1 : cold weather, coldness
noun, feminine
Synonyms: सर्दी (sardii)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In Delhi-NCR, ठंड (thand) is a season unto itself in everyday talk -- people say ठंड आ गई (thand aa gaii, 'the cold has arrived') the way you'd announce a guest, and ठंड पड़ रही है (thand pad rahii hai, 'the cold is falling/setting in') treats cold as something that descends on the city, especially through foggy December-January mornings.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to say 'I am cold' with a subject-verb structure like में ठंड हूँ (men thand hoon), copying English 'I am cold.' Native speakers use the dative construction मुझे ठंड लगती है (mujhe thand lagtii hai, 'I feel cold') -- the cold is felt *to* you, not embodied *by* you. 2) Do not confuse ठंड (thand, the noun 'cold') with ठंडा (thandaa, the adjective 'cold'); ठंड का मौसम (thand kaa mausam, 'cold weather') is correct, not ठंडा मौसम (thandaa mausam) is fine too but means something slightly different -- 'a cold-feeling weather' vs 'the season of cold.'
Sample Sentences:
दिल्ली में दिसंबर में बहुत ठंड पड़ती है। It gets very cold in Delhi in December.
(dillii men disambar men bahut thand padtii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
आखिरकार ठंड आ गई है। The cold weather has finally arrived.
(aakhirkaar thand aa gaii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल रात बहुत ठंड पड़ रही थी। It was very cold last night.
(kal raat bahut thand pad rahii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर इतनी ठंड न पड़ी होती तो हम पिकनिक पर जाते। If it hadn't been this cold, we would have gone on a picnic.
(agar itnii thand n padii hotii to ham piknik par jaate।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
इस साल जनवरी में रिकॉर्ड ठंड पड़ेगी। There will be record-breaking cold this January.
(is saal janavrii men rikord thand padegii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
बच्चों को ऐसी ठंड में बाहर मत भेजो। Don't send the kids outside in such cold weather.
(bachchon ko aisii thand men baahar mat bhejo।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
उत्तर भारत में ठंड के कारण कई उड़ानें रद्द कर दी गईं। Many flights were cancelled in North India due to the cold weather.
(uttar bhaarat men thand ke kaaran kaii udaanen radd kar dii gaiin।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
मौसम विभाग के अनुसार, इस सप्ताह भीषण ठंड पड़ने की संभावना है। According to the weather department, severe cold is likely this week.
(mausam vibhaag ke anusaar, is saptaah bhiishan thand padne kii sambhaavnaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
काश इस बार इतनी ठंड न पड़े। I wish it wouldn't get this cold this time.
(kaash is baar itnii thand n pade।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
पहाड़ों पर तो अभी से कड़ाके की ठंड शुरू हो गई है। Up in the mountains, the biting cold has already set in.
(pahaadon par to abhii se kadaake kii thand shuroo ho gaii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
सर्दियों की ठंड में रजाई से निकलने का मन ही नहीं करता। In the winter cold, you just don't feel like getting out of the quilt.
(sardiyon kii thand men rajaaii se nikalne kaa man hii nahiin kartaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : the physical sensation of feeling cold
noun, feminine Almost always appears with लगना (lagnaa) in the dative-subject frame: [person]+को ठंड लगना (ko thand lagnaa, 'to feel cold').
Synonyms: सर्दी (sardii)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the same body-as-recipient logic you see across Hindi's feeling-verbs -- cold, hunger, fear all 'arrive at' or 'attach to' (लगना lagnaa) a person marked with को (ko), rather than the person actively 'being' cold as in English.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use आना (aanaa) here by analogy with नींद आना (niind aanaa, 'to feel sleepy'), producing मुझे ठंड आती है (mujhe thand aatii hai) -- this is not idiomatic; लगना (lagnaa) is the verb this sense pairs with, not आना (aanaa).
Sample Sentences:
मुझे बहुत ठंड लग रही है। I'm feeling very cold.
(mujhe bahut thand lag rahii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम्हें ठंड लग रही है? Are you feeling cold?
(kyaa tumhen thand lag rahii hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल रात मुझे बहुत ठंड लगी। Last night I felt very cold.
(kal raat mujhe bahut thand lagii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बारिश में भीगने के बाद उसे ठंड लगने लगी। After getting soaked in the rain, she started feeling cold.
(baarish men bhiigne ke baad use thand lagne lagii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बच्चों को अक्सर रात में ठंड लगती है। Children often feel cold at night.
(bachchon ko aksar raat men thand lagtii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम यह पतला स्वेटर पहनोगे तो तुम्हें ठंड लगेगी। If you wear this thin sweater, you'll feel cold.
(agar tum yah patlaa svetar pahnoge to tumhen thand lagegii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अगर मैंने जैकेट न पहनी होती, तो मुझे बहुत ठंड लगती। If I hadn't worn a jacket, I would have felt very cold.
(agar mainne jaiket n pahnii hotii, to mujhe bahut thand lagtii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
खिड़की बंद कर दो, वरना मुझे ठंड लग जाएगी। Close the window, or I'll end up feeling cold.
(khidkii band kar do, varnaa mujhe thand lag jaaegii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
डर के मारे मुझे ठंड जैसी सिहरन महसूस हुई। Out of fear, I felt a chill-like shiver.
(dar ke maare mujhe thand jaisii sihran mahsoos huii।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि बुखार से पहले ठंड लगना आम बात है। The doctor said that feeling cold before a fever is common.
(doktar ne kahaa ki bukhaar se pahle thand lagnaa aam baat hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायद उसे बुखार की वजह से ठंड लग रही हो। Maybe she's feeling cold because of the fever.
(shaayad use bukhaar kii vajah se thand lag rahii ho।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Sense 3 : a cold, common cold (illness)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: सर्दी (sardii), जुकाम (jukaam)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: In this sense ठंड (thand) overlaps heavily with जुकाम (jukaam); a Delhi mother is just as likely to say उसे ठंड लग गई (use thand lag gaii, 'he/she has caught a cold') as उसे जुकाम हो गया (use jukaam ho gayaa) -- both are common, everyday ways to report a mild cold.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे ठंड लग गई है। I've caught a cold.
(mujhe thand lag gaii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बच्चे को कल रात से ठंड लगी हुई है। The child has had a cold since last night.
(bachche ko kal raat se thand lagii huii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बारिश में भीगने की वजह से उसे ठंड हो गई थी। He got a cold because he got wet in the rain.
(baarish men bhiigne kii vajah se use thand ho gaii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम गीले बालों के साथ बाहर निकलोगे तो तुम्हें ठंड हो जाएगी। If you go outside with wet hair, you'll catch a cold.
(agar tum giile baalon ke saath baahar nikloge to tumhen thand ho jaaegii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
गरम कपड़े पहनो, नहीं तो ठंड लग जाएगी। Wear warm clothes, or you'll catch a cold.
(garam kapde pahno, nahiin to thand lag jaaegii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मैंने छाता ले लिया होता, तो मुझे ठंड न लगती। If I had taken an umbrella, I wouldn't have caught a cold.
(agar mainne chhaataa le liyaa hotaa, to mujhe thand n lagtii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि यह सिर्फ मामूली ठंड है, चिंता की कोई बात नहीं। The doctor said it's just a mild cold, nothing to worry about.
(doktar ne kahaa ki yah sirph maamoolii thand hai, chintaa kii koii baat nahiin।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायद उसे ठंड हो, इसलिए वह छींक रहा है। Maybe he has a cold, that's why he's sneezing.
(shaayad use thand ho, islie vah chhiink rahaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
मौसम बदलते ही घर में सबको ठंड हो जाती है। As soon as the weather changes, everyone at home catches a cold.
(mausam badalte hii ghar men sabko thand ho jaatii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसकी ठंड ठीक होने में पूरा एक हफ्ता लग गया। It took a whole week for her cold to get better.
(uskii thand thiik hone men pooraa ek haphtaa lag gayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): ठंड (thand)
(sg.f.oblique): ठंड (thand)
(pl.f.direct): ठंडें (thanden)
(pl.f.oblique): ठंडों (thandon)