इश्क़ (ishq)

noun A rich, passionate word for romantic love, borrowed from Urdu/Persian; carries a more intense, often poetic charge than plain प्यार (pyaar).
Sense 1 : romantic/passionate love
noun, masculine
Synonyms: प्यार (pyaar), मुहब्बत (muhabbat), प्रेम (prem, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: इश्क़ (ishq) is the word of choice in shayari, ghazals, and Bollywood lyrics whenever love needs to sound consuming and fateful rather than sweet and domestic -- think of the difference between saying 'I have a crush' and 'I am utterly undone by love.' It pairs naturally with दर्द (dard, pain) and जुनून (junoon, obsession) in popular usage, reflecting a cultural framing of love as something that overwhelms rather than something you simply feel.
Common Mistakes: 1) इश्क़ (ishq) is not a casual word for liking something; using it for mild affection (like you would say 'I love this song' in English) sounds overblown to native ears -- पसंद (pasand) or अच्छा लगना (achchhaa lagnaa) fits everyday liking better. 2) Learners sometimes drop the nuqta and write इशक, which looks like a spelling mistake rather than a valid variant; keep the dot under the क़ (q).
Sample Sentences:
इश्क़ इंसान को पागल कर देता है। Love drives a person mad.
(ishq insaan ko paagal kar detaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसे उससे इश्क़ हो गया। He fell in love with her.
(use usse ishq ho gayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
यह इश्क़ का दर्द है, कोई साधारण चोट नहीं। This is the pain of love, not some ordinary wound.
(yah ishq kaa dard hai, koii saadhaaran chot nahiin।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायर इश्क़ और जुनून के बारे में लिख रहा है। The poet is writing about love and obsession.
(shaayar ishq aur junoon ke baare men likh rahaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
काश मुझे कभी इश्क़ न होता। If only I had never fallen in love.
(kaash mujhe kabhii ishq n hotaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
अगर उसे तुमसे इश्क़ होता, तो वह इतनी दूर न जाता। If he were in love with you, he wouldn't have gone so far away.
(agar use tumse ishq hotaa, to vah itnii door n jaataa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
इश्क़ में डूब जाओ, फिर देखो दुनिया कैसी लगती है। Drown yourself in love, then see how the world feels.
(ishq men doob jaao, phir dekho duniyaa kaisii lagtii hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
गाने में गायक इश्क़ की तड़प बयां करता है। In the song, the singer expresses the anguish of love.
(gaane men gaayak ishq kii tadap bayaan kartaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायद उसे मुझसे सच्चा इश्क़ हो। Maybe he truly loves me.
(shaayad use mujhse sachchaa ishq ho।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
इस फ़िल्म की पूरी कहानी इश्क़ पर आधारित है। The entire story of this film is based on love.
(is film kii poorii kahaanii ishq par aadhaarit hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
इश्क़ में लोग अक्सर अपना आपा खो बैठते हैं। In love, people often end up losing their composure.
(ishq men log aksar apnaa aapaa kho baithte hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): इश्क़ (ishq)
(sg.m.oblique): इश्क़ (ishq)
(pl.m.direct): इश्क़ (ishq)
(pl.m.oblique): इश्क़ों (ishqon)