हमदर्दी (hamdardii)
noun
A single-sense noun meaning 'sympathy' or 'compassion' for another's suffering; built from हम (ham, 'same/co-') plus दर्द (dard, 'pain') plus the abstract-noun suffix ी.
Sense
1
:
sympathy, compassion, empathy for someone's suffering
noun, feminine Commonly used with जताना (jataanaa, 'to express') or दिखाना (dikhaanaa, 'to show') and takes से (se) marking the person it's felt for, as in किसी से हमदर्दी (kisii se hamdardii, 'sympathy for someone').
Synonyms: सहानुभूति (sahaanubhooti), करुणा (karunaa, more about pity/compassion), दयालुता (dayaalutaa, focuses on kindness)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: The word's build is lovely and transparent once pointed out: हम (ham) means 'shared' or 'together' and दर्द (dard) means 'pain' -- so हमदर्दी (hamdardii) is literally 'shared-pain-ness,' the feeling of hurting along with someone else. It's a common, warm, everyday word you'll hear used about a friend's troubles, a neighbor's loss, or in the context of political rhetoric about the poor.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use हमदर्दी (hamdardii) interchangeably with सहानुभूति (sahaanubhooti), but हमदर्दी (hamdardii) carries a warmer, more personal, almost 'fellow-feeling' tone (from हम, 'shared'), while सहानुभूति (sahaanubhooti) can sound more formal or clinical. 2) The person you sympathize with is marked with से (se), not के लिए (ke lie) -- so it's उससे हमदर्दी है (usse hamdardii hai, 'I feel sympathy for him'), not उसके लिए हमदर्दी.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे उसके हालात पर बहुत हमदर्दी है।
I feel a lot of sympathy for his situation.
(mujhe uske haalaat par bahut hamdardii hai।)
उसने रोते हुए बच्चे को हमदर्दी से देखा।
She looked at the crying child with sympathy.
(usne rote hue bachche ko hamdardii se dekhaa।)
गरीबों के प्रति नेताओं की हमदर्दी सिर्फ भाषणों में दिखती है।
The politicians' sympathy for the poor shows up only in their speeches.
(gariibon ke prati netaaon kii hamdardii sirph bhaashnon men dikhtii hai।)
काश लोग सिर्फ हमदर्दी जताने के बजाय कुछ मदद भी करते।
If only people actually helped instead of just showing sympathy.
(kaash log sirph hamdardii jataane ke bajaay kuchh madad bhii karte।)
अगर तुम्हें सच में हमदर्दी होती, तो तुम उसे अकेला न छोड़ते।
If you really felt sympathy, you wouldn't have left him alone.
(agar tumhen sach men hamdardii hotii, to tum use akelaa n chhodte।)
मुझे तुमसे हमदर्दी नहीं, सच्चा प्यार है।
I don't have sympathy for you, I have real love.
(mujhe tumse hamdardii nahiin, sachchaa pyaar hai।)
पड़ोसियों ने उसकी माँ की मौत पर अपनी हमदर्दी जताई।
The neighbors expressed their sympathy over his mother's death.
(padosiyon ne uskii maan kii maut par apnii hamdardii jataaii।)
उसकी कहानी सुनकर सबके दिल में हमदर्दी जाग उठी।
Hearing his story, sympathy awoke in everyone's heart.
(uskii kahaanii sunkar sabke dil men hamdardii jaag uthii।)
हमें मजदूरों के दर्द के प्रति हमदर्दी रखनी चाहिए।
We should have sympathy for the workers' suffering.
(hamen majdooron ke dard ke prati hamdardii rakhnii chaahie।)
क्या तुम्हें अपने दोस्त की तकलीफ से थोड़ी भी हमदर्दी नहीं होती?
Don't you feel even a little sympathy for your friend's trouble?
(kyaa tumhen apne dost kii takliiph se thodii bhii hamdardii nahiin hotii?)
पीड़ितों के परिवारों के साथ पूरे देश ने हमदर्दी जताई।
The whole country expressed sympathy with the victims' families.
(piiditon ke parivaaron ke saath poore desh ne hamdardii jataaii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
हमदर्दी
(hamdardii)
(sg.f.oblique):
हमदर्दी
(hamdardii)
(pl.f.direct):
हमदर्दियाँ
(hamdardiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
हमदर्दियों
(hamdardiyon)