दुख (dukh)
noun/verb
Mainly a noun meaning sorrow, pain, or suffering; also used as a verb meaning to hurt or ache. Also spelled दुःख (duhkh) with the visarga -- both forms are common.
Sense
1
:
sorrow, grief, sadness
noun, masculine
Synonyms: ग़म (gham), शोक (shok, more formal/literary), तकलीफ़ (takliif, often overlaps with hardship/trouble)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: दुख (dukh) is one half of the classic pair सुख-दुख (sukh-dukh, 'joys and sorrows'), which comes up constantly in everyday reflection on life -- as in wishing someone well 'through सुख-दुख (sukh-dukh)'. It carries a gentler, more resigned emotional weight than English 'grief', closer to the quiet ache of disappointment or loss.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use दर्द (dard) and दुख (dukh) interchangeably, but दर्द (dard) leans toward physical pain while दुख (dukh) is the word for emotional grief or sorrow. 2) The common phrase दुख होना (dukh honaa) takes a को-marked experiencer (मुझे दुख हुआ (mujhe dukh huaa, 'I felt sad')), not ने (ne) -- learners sometimes reach for ने (ne) here out of habit.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे उसकी बात सुनकर बहुत दुख हुआ।
I felt very sad when I heard what he said.
(mujhe uskii baat sunkar bahut dukh huaa।)
हम सुख-दुख में हमेशा साथ रहेंगे।
We will always stand together through life's joys and sorrows.
(ham sukh-dukh men hameshaa saath rahenge।)
वह अपना दुख किसी से नहीं बताती।
She doesn't tell anyone about her sorrow.
(vah apnaa dukh kisii se nahiin bataatii।)
उसके चेहरे पर गहरा दुख झलक रहा था।
A deep sorrow was showing on his face.
(uske chehre par gahraa dukh jhalak rahaa thaa।)
काश मुझे इतना दुख न होता।
If only I didn't feel so much sorrow.
(kaash mujhe itnaa dukh n hotaa।)
अपना दुख भूल जाओ और आगे बढ़ो।
Forget your sorrow and move forward.
(apnaa dukh bhool jaao aur aage badho।)
मुझे डर है कि उसे मेरी बात से दुख न पहुँचे।
I'm afraid that my words might cause her sorrow.
(mujhe dar hai ki use merii baat se dukh n pahunche।)
यह दुख की बात है कि उन्होंने साथ छोड़ दिया।
It's a matter of sorrow that they left us.
(yah dukh kii baat hai ki unhonne saath chhod diyaa।)
उनके दुख को शब्दों में बयान नहीं किया जा सकता।
Their sorrow cannot be expressed in words.
(unke dukh ko shabdon men bayaan nahiin kiyaa jaa saktaa।)
जीवन में सुख-दुख तो आते-जाते रहते हैं।
Joys and sorrows keep coming and going in life.
(jiivan men sukh-dukh to aate-jaate rahte hain।)
दादी हर किसी का दुख-दर्द समझने की कोशिश करती थीं।
Grandmother used to try to understand everyone's sorrows and pains.
(daadii har kisii kaa dukh-dard samajhne kii koshish kartii thiin।)
Sense
2
:
pain, hardship, trouble (physical or circumstantial)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: कष्ट (kasht), तकलीफ़ (takliif), परेशानी (pareshaanii)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: In phrases like दुख उठाना (dukh uthaanaa, 'to bear hardship/suffering') or दुख सहना (dukh sahnaa, 'to endure suffering'), दुख (dukh) shifts from pure emotion toward lived hardship -- the struggles and troubles of life itself, not just a feeling about them.
Sample Sentences:
उसने अपनी ज़िंदगी में बहुत दुख उठाया है।
He has borne a lot of hardship in his life.
(usne apnii zindgii men bahut dukh uthaayaa hai।)
गरीबी में लोग कई तरह के दुख सहते हैं।
In poverty, people endure many kinds of hardship.
(gariibii men log kaii tarah ke dukh sahte hain।)
जंग के दौरान लोगों ने बहुत दुख झेले।
During the war, people suffered a great deal of hardship.
(jang ke dauraan logon ne bahut dukh jhele।)
उसे बचपन से ही बहुत दुख उठाना पड़ा।
He had to bear a lot of hardship right from childhood.
(use bachpan se hii bahut dukh uthaanaa padaa।)
अगर तुम मेहनत करो तो शायद आगे कम दुख उठाना पड़े।
If you work hard, perhaps you will have to bear less hardship ahead.
(agar tum mehnat karo to shaayad aage kam dukh uthaanaa pade।)
काश उसे इतना दुख न सहना पड़ता।
If only he hadn't had to endure so much hardship.
(kaash use itnaa dukh n sahnaa padtaa।)
किसान बाढ़ के बाद के दुख से जूझ रहे हैं।
The farmers are struggling with the hardship after the flood.
(kisaan baadh ke baad ke dukh se joojh rahe hain।)
इस दुख से उबरने में उसे कई साल लगे।
It took him several years to recover from this hardship.
(is dukh se ubarne men use kaii saal lage।)
जीवन में दुख आते ही रहते हैं, बस उन्हें सहने का हौसला रखो।
Hardships keep coming in life; just keep the courage to bear them.
(jiivan men dukh aate hii rahte hain, bas unhen sahne kaa hauslaa rakho।)
Sense
3
:
to ache, to hurt (of a body part)
verb, intransitive Used intransitively with a body part as subject, e.g. सिर दुखना (sir dukhnaa, 'for the head to ache'); the person experiencing it is marked with का (kaa) or के (ke) possessive on the body part, not as a को-subject.
Synonyms: दर्द करना (dard karnaa, more common colloquial phrase for the same idea)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This verb shows Hindi's classic body-as-agent pattern: the body part itself does the aching, and you are just the possessor standing by. It is less common in casual speech than the phrase दर्द होना (dard honaa) or दर्द करना (dard karnaa), but still heard, especially in slightly more literary or careful speech.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to make the person the grammatical subject (as in English 'my head hurts me'), but Hindi puts the body part itself as the subject: मेरा सिर दुखता है (meraa sir dukhtaa hai, 'my head aches'), literally 'my head aches.'
Sample Sentences:
मेरा सिर दुख रहा है।
My head is aching.
(meraa sir dukh rahaa hai।)
कल रातभर उसके पैर दुखते रहे।
Her legs kept aching all night yesterday.
(kal raatbhar uske pair dukhte rahe।)
बहुत देर तक बैठे रहने से उसकी कमर दुख गई।
From sitting for so long, his back started aching.
(bahut der tak baithe rahne se uskii kamar dukh gaii।)
जब भी मौसम बदलता है, मेरे जोड़ दुखने लगते हैं।
Whenever the weather changes, my joints start aching.
(jab bhii mausam badaltaa hai, mere jod dukhne lagte hain।)
अगर तुम इतनी देर तक फोन पर झुककर बात करोगी, तो तुम्हारी गर्दन दुखेगी।
If you keep talking on the phone bent over like that for so long, your neck will start hurting.
(agar tum itnii der tak phon par jhukkar baat karogii, to tumhaarii gardan dukhegii।)
अगर वह इतना दौड़ती, तो उसके घुटने ज़रूर दुखते।
If she had run that much, her knees would definitely have ached.
(agar vah itnaa daudtii, to uske ghutne zaroor dukhte।)
डॉक्टर ने पूछा कि क्या उसका पेट दुखता है।
The doctor asked whether her stomach hurts.
(doktar ne poochhaa ki kyaa uskaa pet dukhtaa hai।)
शायद उसके दाँत दुख रहे हों, इसलिए वह कुछ खा नहीं रहा।
Maybe his teeth are aching, which is why he isn't eating anything.
(shaayad uske daant dukh rahe hon, islie vah kuchh khaa nahiin rahaa।)
इतनी देर तक कंप्यूटर पर काम करने से आँखें दुखने लगी हैं।
From working on the computer for so long, my eyes have started aching.
(itnii der tak kampyootar par kaam karne se aankhen dukhne lagii hain।)
पहाड़ चढ़ने के बाद उसकी पिंडलियाँ बहुत दुखीं।
After climbing the mountain, her calves ached a lot.
(pahaad chadhne ke baad uskii pindliyaan bahut dukhiin।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
दुख
(dukh)
(sg.m.oblique):
दुख
(dukh)
(pl.m.direct):
दुख
(dukh)
(pl.m.oblique):
दुखों
(dukhon)
Verb
infinitive:
दुख
(dukh)
infinitive oblique:
दुने
(dune)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
दुता
(dutaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
दुते
(dute)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
दुती
(dutii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
दुतीं
(dutiin)
continuous (sg.m):
दु रहा
(du rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
दु रहे
(du rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
दु रही
(du rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
दु रहीं
(du rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
दुा
([[दुा]])
perfective (pl.m):
दुे
([[दुे]])
perfective (sg.f):
दुी
([[दुी]])
perfective (pl.f):
दुीं
([[दुीं]])
imperative (informal):
दु
(du)
imperative (neutral):
दुो
([[दुो]])
imperative (formal):
दुिए
([[दुिए]])
future (1sg.m):
दुूँगा
([[दुूँगा]])
future (1sg.f):
दुूँगी
([[दुूँगी]])
future (1pl.m):
दुेंगे
([[दुेंगे]])
future (1pl.f):
दुेंगी
([[दुेंगी]])
future (2sg.m):
दुेगा
([[दुेगा]])
future (2sg.f):
दुेगी
([[दुेगी]])
future (2pl.m):
दुोगे
([[दुोगे]])
future (2pl.f):
दुोगी
([[दुोगी]])
future (3sg.m):
दुेगा
([[दुेगा]])
future (3sg.f):
दुेगी
([[दुेगी]])
future (3pl.m):
दुेंगे
([[दुेंगे]])
future (3pl.f):
दुेंगी
([[दुेंगी]])
subjunctive (1sg):
दुूँ
([[दुूँ]])
subjunctive (1pl):
दुें
([[दुें]])
subjunctive (2sg):
दुे
([[दुे]])
subjunctive (2pl):
दुो
([[दुो]])
subjunctive (3sg):
दुे
([[दुे]])
subjunctive (3pl):
दुें
([[दुें]])